17. Egyptian seated ibis, Late Dynastic Period-Ptolemaic Period, c.664-30BC
Bronze and gilt wood
Dimensions: 28.4 x 41cm
12369 TA
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Further images
The wood body covered in a layer of gesso and finished in gold leaf. The head, legs and tail section were separately cast in bronze, and are of particularly fine...
The wood body covered in a layer of gesso and finished in gold leaf. The head, legs and tail section were separately cast in bronze, and are of particularly fine quality. The head has an elegant curving beak, serpentine neck and inlaid glass eyes, the legs folded under the body with tangs for insertion into a separate base, usually of wood. Details have been incised on the tail to imitate feathers, and on the legs and toes to resemble scales. The wooden body, bronze elements and obsidian inlaid eyes are all intact. The gesso surface with scattered craquelure, and small areas of loss and associated loss to the gilding, which have been restored in modern times, most notably on the breast and the underside of the neck. The feet and claws are intact, with a very minor loss visible on close inspection to the extreme outer claw of the proper right foot.
“At the beginning of spring winged serpents from Arabia fly towards Egypt, and the birds called ibises meet them at the entrance to this country and do not suffer the serpents to go by, but kill them...the Egyptians also agree that it is for this reason that they honour these birds.” (Herodotus, Histories II).
The ibis was venerated as a manifestation of Thoth, the Egyptian god of learning, science and truth. There are three types of ibis in Egypt, but the most commonly represented, shown here, is the white or sacred ibis. Statuettes such as this were presented as votive offerings by those seeking the god’s help.
During the Late Dynastic and Greco-Roman periods these birds were bred on a colossal scale at sanctuaries connected to temples of Thoth - a phenomenon unique to these eras. Herodotus noted that Hermopolis was the official burial ground for the Ibis birds, an observation drawn from the hundreds of mummified ibises buried alongside votive figures in the subterranean corridors of the Ptolemaic temple there. The other main sites for these ibis mummies are Sakkara and Thebes; in the former, excavations carried out by the Egypt Exploration Society have unearthed around 1.5 million ibis mummies.The ibis was revered as sacred to Thoth, the multifaceted deity linked to wisdom, writing, and knowledge. Gilded wooden and bronze figures of the bird were often hollow, serving as coffins for mummified ibises or “dummy mummies” made from straw and mud. Whether containing an actual mummy or not, these ibises were offerings dedicated to Thoth, whose cult flourished during the Late and Ptolemaic Periods.
“At the beginning of spring winged serpents from Arabia fly towards Egypt, and the birds called ibises meet them at the entrance to this country and do not suffer the serpents to go by, but kill them...the Egyptians also agree that it is for this reason that they honour these birds.” (Herodotus, Histories II).
The ibis was venerated as a manifestation of Thoth, the Egyptian god of learning, science and truth. There are three types of ibis in Egypt, but the most commonly represented, shown here, is the white or sacred ibis. Statuettes such as this were presented as votive offerings by those seeking the god’s help.
During the Late Dynastic and Greco-Roman periods these birds were bred on a colossal scale at sanctuaries connected to temples of Thoth - a phenomenon unique to these eras. Herodotus noted that Hermopolis was the official burial ground for the Ibis birds, an observation drawn from the hundreds of mummified ibises buried alongside votive figures in the subterranean corridors of the Ptolemaic temple there. The other main sites for these ibis mummies are Sakkara and Thebes; in the former, excavations carried out by the Egypt Exploration Society have unearthed around 1.5 million ibis mummies.The ibis was revered as sacred to Thoth, the multifaceted deity linked to wisdom, writing, and knowledge. Gilded wooden and bronze figures of the bird were often hollow, serving as coffins for mummified ibises or “dummy mummies” made from straw and mud. Whether containing an actual mummy or not, these ibises were offerings dedicated to Thoth, whose cult flourished during the Late and Ptolemaic Periods.
Provenance
The Arcade Gallery, London, UK by 1969Private Collection, San Francisco, USA; acquired from the above, June 1969, thence by descent
Literature
Compare an example in Brooklyn Museum (inv. no. 49.48a-b, no. 91 in R. Fazzini, et al., Ancient Egyptian Art in the Brooklyn Museum) and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 53.185a, p. 182 in C.R. Clark, “The Sacred Ibis,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, vol.131
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