Lot 187
  • 187

AN EGYPTIAN POLYCHROME AND GILT CARTONNAGE MUMMY MASK, LATE PTOLEMAIC / EARLY ROMAN PERIOD, CIRCA 50 B.C.-50 A.D. |

Estimate
35,000 - 55,000 USD
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Description

  • height 16 in.
  • 40.6 cm
wearing a broad foliate collar detailed in relief, and tripartite wig decorated in front with a checkerboard design, the idealized face with full outlined lips and large eyes, the long extended eyebrows and cosmetic lines painted in the same Egyptian blue pigment as the wig

Provenance

Royal-Athena Galleries, New York
Connecticut private collection, acquired from the above on January 16th, 1976
Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, inv. No. SR 8601C
Florida private collection, acquired from the above circa 1989
Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, inv. no.  LL 9201.C
New York private collection, acquired from the above on December 29th, 1992 
Sotheby’s, New York, June 4th, 2014, no. 48, illus.
James F. Scott, Charlottesville, Virginia, acquired at the above sale

Literature

Royal-Athena Galleries, The Age of Cleopatra: The Art of Late Dynastic and Graeco-Roman Egypt, New York, 1988, no. 28, illus.

Condition

Significant repairs and inpainting throughout, particularly along joins and repairs. Repairs with inpainting on the front include a small area above the proper right brow, small areas in the whites of each eye, down most of the top of the nose, areas under each eye, on proper left side of upper lip, across proper left side of lips, the tip of the chin, and across the wig and neck at the top of the collar; on the back, four repairs with inpainting across the width of the cartonnage, and some smaller areas of repair and inpainting. Inside partially lined for support, particularly in repaired areas. Some flaking to paint.
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

For comparable examples see Guenther Grimm, Die Roemischen Mummienmasken aus Aegypten, Wiesbaden, 1974, pl. 2.