Lot 10
  • 10

An Egyptian Granite Bust of a Man, 20th Dynasty, 1190-1075 B.C., and later

Estimate
5,000 - 8,000 USD
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Description

  • An Egyptian Granite Bust of a Man
  • Granite
  • Height from modern base 9 1/4 in. 23.5 cm.
wearing a belt, pleated sash, and striated and echeloned double wig, two names of Ramesses III carved on his chest, the back-slab with two columns of inscription in sunk relief, the bust perhaps reworked from a statue of the mid-18th Dynasty, the face reworked in modern times. 

Provenance

Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, May 5th, 1970, possibly acquired from H. Khan Monif
acquired from the above by Henry Nilsson, Stockholm and St. Croix
acquired from the above by the current owner's parents

Literature

Apollo, vol. LXXXVI, no. 70 (New Series), December 1967, p. XXXVI (advertisement for D. J. Crowther Ltd.)
J. Malek, ed., Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings, vol. VIII: Objects of Provenance Not Known. Part 2: Private Statues: Dynasty XVIII to the Roman Period. Statues of Deities, Oxford, 1999, no. 801-650-560

Condition

As shown and stated in the catalogue description; note ancient damage to back slab and inscription; the bust can be lifted out of its modern wood base.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

The inscription translates: “May the King be gracious and give sacrifice to Amun-Re, King of the Gods, Lord of Heaven, Ruler of Thebes…, May the King be gracious and give sacrifice to Mut, Lady of Heaven and to Khonsu Neferhotep…”

A limestone statue of Kynebu and his wife in the Kestner Museum, Hannover (inv. no. 2945), shows a man wearing a similar pleated garment across his chest. Dated to the 18th Dynasty, it is now considered to have been reworked in the 20th Dynasty, when the pleated garment was added.