Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 10.5" (26.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Stone This elegant and refined  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 10.5" (26.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Stone This elegant and refined figure is a beautiful example of the skill and craftsmanship of sculptors during Egypt’s New Kingdom. It depicts an aristocratic young woman – perhaps a goddess, for gods and kings/queens were synonymous at the time – dressed in an elegantly-shaped tunic, with sleeves down to her elbows, and a long headdress. She is slim and elegant, with very finely-carved features, a firm jaw and careful detailing on all textile surfaces. She is leaning back against a block, the rear of which bears two columns of hieroglyphics which are likely to identify the person or deity concerned, and to wish benedictions upon them. The New Kingdom – which lasted from the 16th century BC to the 11th century BC – was the very pinnacle of Egyptian power, when she had a true empire, which gave rise to phenomenal wealth and diversity within her own boundaries. Egypt expanded into the Middle East to fight the Hittites for control of Syria, and also sent armies successfully into Nubia, while opening trade routes with Punt and many other areas of the Near East. Domestic changes included Egypt’s only flirtation with monotheism, and while Akhenaten’s influence attracted many enemies, it also changed the route of Egyptian art. The works of this period are exceptional in terms of their beauty of execution and faithfulness to detail, although some aspects of representation were still formulaic.   « Less

Egyptian Bronze Sculpture of Osiris - LO.1378 Origin: Egypt Circa: 1000 BC to 600 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Dynasties XXI-XXV Medium: Bronze

Egyptian Bronze Sculpture of Osiris - LO.1378 Origin: Egypt Circa: 1000 BC to 600 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Dynasties XXI-XXV Medium: Bronze   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 3.6" (9.1cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Stone The Egyptians have left us with  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 3.6" (9.1cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Stone The Egyptians have left us with what is perhaps the most detailed legacy of an ancient civilization. They had strong beliefs about what would happen after the death and spent much of their earthly lives preparing for the next world. The falcon is one of the few clear examples of a motif known in Egypt's Predynastic times that continued into the Dynastic period, after 3100 B.C., when it symbolized the king as an embodiment of the falcon-headed god Horus, the patron deity of kingship. Horus was the falcon-deity, originally the sky-god, identified with the king during his lifetime Known more importantly as the son of Osiris and Isis. Horus was also the avenger of his father Osiris, who was killed by Set.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 650 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 5.5" (14.0cm) high x 1.75" (4.4cm) wide Catalogue: V30 Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium:  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 650 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 5.5" (14.0cm) high x 1.75" (4.4cm) wide Catalogue: V30 Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Bronze The ancient Egyptians were conservative and traditional with regard to their design for depictions of cats. Most of the known representations in both two and three dimensions rely on a seated attitude, as here, in which the beloved feline sits on its hind legs with its erect fore legs drawn up close to the chest in order to create a compact body from which the head with its perked up ears emerges, attentive and focused. In these compositions, the tail of the cat is invariably wrapped around the proper right-hand side of the animal closely following the contour so that its tip ends at or about even with the claws of the right paw. Our example is unusual in that it still exhibits an original suspension loop on its back into which links of the original chain are likewise well preserved. Other examples of bronze cats are known which are provided with suspension loops and it was not uncommon for the ancient Egyptians to attach similar loops to other bronze statuettes, such as images of Osiris, which are, to a modern critic, of such a large size that they would have seemed cumbersome, if worn as pendants suspended from necklaces and the like.   « Less

Origin: Memphis, Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 1.875" (4.8cm) high x 2.75" (7.0cm) wide Catalogue: V8 Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: 26th  More »

Origin: Memphis, Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 1.875" (4.8cm) high x 2.75" (7.0cm) wide Catalogue: V8 Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Bronze This masterfully carved, recumbent bull is a manifestation of the ancient Egyptian deity Ptah, the god of Memphis who created the world by "thinking the thought and speaking the word". The Apis bull was a herald or messenger of Ptah who was called the "living Apis, the herald of Ptah, who carries truth upwards to him of the lovely face (Ptah)." In Memphis a living bull was chosen for its special markings, as the representation of the Apis bull and when it died another bull with the same markings was found. The Apis bull was kept at Memphis at a temple dedicated to the bull, with the temple of Ptah located close by. This spirited bronze bull rests atop a bronze base, inscribed with hieroglyphs. The front of the base reads, Iwenet-Menkhet, translated as "Denderah is splendid". Denderah was one of the cult sites for the ancient Egyptian deity Hathor, who was, among other things, the guardian of the mountain of the dead on the left bank at Memphis. The side of the base reads, "Iwenet-Menkhet, given life. One who gives offerings to Hathor. One who builds a shrine." The symbolic hieroglyphs and the sculpted bull combine to give tangible evidence of the devotion that the ancient population of Memphis had toward their god Ptah and their goddess Hathor. - (FZ.282)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 AD to 800 AD Dimensions: 11.75" (29.8cm) high x 2" (5.1cm) wide Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile As the  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 AD to 800 AD Dimensions: 11.75" (29.8cm) high x 2" (5.1cm) wide Catalogue: V1 Collection: Egyptian Style: Coptic Medium: Textile As the Classical age drew to a close, the flowering of Christian Egypt produced a remarkable textile art. This tunic decoration, called a clavus, depicts motifs that are both pagan and Christian, a mixing of imagery not uncommon in Late Antiquity. A saint, apostle or evangelist, his head surrounded with a nimbus, shares space with flying spirits and wild beasts. Such a colorful masterpiece of the weaver's art seems to sum up the vitality, the vivid excitement of the age that created it. - (P.4489)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2 nd Century AD to 3 rd Century AD Dimensions: 8.5" (21.6cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Stucco This gorgeous plaster  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2 nd Century AD to 3 rd Century AD Dimensions: 8.5" (21.6cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Stucco This gorgeous plaster funerary mask reveals that the traditional Egyptian arts continued to flourish even under Roman rule. In fact, the Egyptian style was reinvigorated with a healthy dose of Roman classicism that elegantly merges with the stylized traditions of Egypt. Here, a man wearing a diadem has been depicted with textured hair, solemn features, and a tight-lipped expression. Overall, his physiognomy is typical of the multiethnic population of Roman Period Egypt. His skin has been painted a soft creamy hue, while his hair, eyebrows, and neatly trimmed beard and moustache have been painted black. Multiple little painted dots are used to create the beard and moustache. His eyes and lashes have been detailed in black paint, while a thin red line encircling his eyelids heightens the sense of realism. Most of these life-size masks were made for Greek and Roman merchants and administrators who settled in Egypt. They generally show some attempts at portraying an individual, but with conventionalized features. These heads were made separately in molds, with gender-specific details added subsequently, and attached to the mummy case or cartonnage so that they are half raised up off the surface, as if the deceased was just awaking in his new afterlife. The masks were usually painted with realistic colors and some were even gilt. Looking into this mask is like looking into a mirror. It is easy to see ourselves inside this carefully modeled face. We wonder if his life, if his cares and concerns, were really that different than our own? - (X.0441)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Dimensions: 0.750" (1.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Middle Kingdom- 2nd Intermediate The ancient Egyptians maintained that the sun was  More »

Origin: Egypt Dimensions: 0.750" (1.9cm) wide Collection: Egyptian antiquities Style: Middle Kingdom- 2nd Intermediate The ancient Egyptians maintained that the sun was propelled across the heavens by means of a scarab, or sacred beetle. With the passing of time, the Egyptians created a series of amulets in the form of this beetle in a great variety of materials, and these were routinely provided with inscriptions in hieroglyphs conveniently accommodated to their stylized flat bottoms. This amulet in the form of a scarab is one of several Egyptian variations on the theme. Its head, plate, and clypeus are well defined, but the separation of the thorax from the elytra, or wing case, is only indicated by a triangular notch on either side of the body.   « Less

Egyptian Wooden Inscribed Mummy Tag - LO.1194 Origin: Egypt Circa: 200 BC to 200 AD Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) high x 3.25" (8.3cm) wide Collection: Egyptian  More »

Egyptian Wooden Inscribed Mummy Tag - LO.1194 Origin: Egypt Circa: 200 BC to 200 AD Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) high x 3.25" (8.3cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Medium: Wood   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high x 1.1" (2.8cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Perhaps no  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high x 1.1" (2.8cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit of ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. Shaped like a divine mummy, the ushabti evokes the magical side of Egyptian belief in an afterlife. The two hoes clutched in the hands and the basket carried on the back recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means "the answerer." The function of these little figures is described in Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead: "O this Ushabti! If (the deceased) is called upon to do hard labor in the hereafter, say thou: I am here." The ushabti was expected to answer the call to work in place of the deceased, and this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in any given tomb. But by the New Kingdom the statues had come to be regarded as servants and slaves for the deceased, rather than as a substitute. Many have been found buried together, along with an overseer figure. In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the XXVIth Dynasty (Saite period), a green faience, the color of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. To look upon an ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (OF.106)   « Less