Lot 19
  • 19

A Fragmentary Egyptian Serpentine Ushabti of the Chief Lector Priest Petamenophis, 25th Dynasty, reign of Taharqa/Tanwetamani, 690-656 B.C.

Estimate
60,000 - 90,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • A Fragmentary Egyptian Serpentine Ushabti of the Chief Lector Priest Petamenophis
  • serpentine
  • Height 7 3/8 in. 18.7 cm.
holding hoes in front and seed sack over his left shoulder, and wearing a broad beaded collar and wide tripartite wig, his finely carved face with smiling mouth indented at the corners, straight nose, and large almond-shaped eyes, the five lines of inscription carefully carved in sunk relief and containing remains of red pigment.

Provenance

Collection of Mr. Brun, France, assembled before 1970
Damien Libert, Paris, auction February 16th, 2012, no 52

Condition

Generally very good and as described, tip of nose rubbed, ancient chip or flaw in the first line of the inscription, chip on proper right thumb and knuckle of the forefinger, a few other very minor nicks, scratches, and abrasions.
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, from Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead, ends with “…if one asks the reader Chief Priest Osiris Petamenophis  justified, here I am! I’m doing it. Here I am! will tell you here , in the afterlife, I am you”.

“That Petamenophis owed his position as Chief Lector Priest and his good fortune, which permitted him to have the largest private tomb ever carved in the bedrock of the Western necropolis at Thebes, to the favor of a king residing in Thebes is not doubted. He often refers to this anonymous king in the texts of his tomb, and it is evident that he was Kushite, either Taharqa (690-664 B.C.) or Tanwetamani (664-656 B.C.”). See Bernard V. Bothmer, Antiquities from the Collection of Christos G. Bastis, New York, 1987, pp. 43-44, no. 14.

For other ushabtis of Petamenophis, many of which like the present example are missing the lower part of the figure, compare J.-F. and L. Aubert, Statuettes funéraires égyptiennes du départment des Monnaies, Médailles et Antiques, France, 2005, pp. 119-123, no. 39, H. Loffet, La Collection Emmache. Antiquités égyptiennes, Book 1, Paris, 2013, pp. 208-209, no. 67, H. A. Schlögl and A. Brodbeck, Ägyptische Totenfiguren aus öffentlichen und privaten Sammlungen der Schweiz, Freiburg and Göttingen, 1990, p. 238, no. 167, J. Taylor, Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, Chicago, 2001, p. 129, no. 92b, B. Borg, H. v. Hesberg. amd A. Linfert, Die antiken Skulpturen in Castle Howard, Wiesbaden, 2005, cat. no. 126, pl. 94.4 and 95, and Brooklyn Museum, acc. no. 60.10; also compare Christie's, London, October 25th, 2012, no. 52.