Egyptian cult statuette of Isis, Ptolemaic Period, c.332-30 BC
Stuccoed and gilded wood, bronze
Dimensions: 33.8 x 8 x 14cm
11351 C
Charles Ede, London
Further images
Carved in wood, covered in a thin layer of gesso and gilded, the goddess has inlaid bronze eyes, a triple uraeus at her brow, and is crowned by a circlet...
Carved in wood, covered in a thin layer of gesso and gilded, the goddess has inlaid bronze eyes, a triple uraeus at her brow, and is crowned by a circlet of uraeii surrounding a pair of cow horns which flank a large sun disc. She wears a long, close-fitting dress down to her ankles, finely woven, revealing her navel. Her left arm is bent at her waist, her hand resting on her lap, her right hand cups her left breast. She is seated on a throne decorated with an incised, scale-like pattern on each side, framing a small square vignette. On the proper left the scene depicts a papyrus plant, and on the right, a lotus plant, representing the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt, on the back the plants are interwoven, representing the unification of the two.
Flaking and losses to the gesso, especially around the lower legs of the figure and to the throne, however a lot of the original gilding remains. The left arm has an old repair at the elbow.
This statue was placed in the naos (shrine) of a temple of Isis. The statue was worshipped as though it were the goddess herself.
Flaking and losses to the gesso, especially around the lower legs of the figure and to the throne, however a lot of the original gilding remains. The left arm has an old repair at the elbow.
This statue was placed in the naos (shrine) of a temple of Isis. The statue was worshipped as though it were the goddess herself.
Provenance
Sotheby's, 27th March 1972, lot 8; listed as 'Various Properties' and sold to MargettesPrivate collection (1925-2013), London, UK; thence by descent
Publications
Sotheby & Co., London, Egyptian, Western Asiatic, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, 27th March 1972, lot 81
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