Bust of a High Official

Back to list

Bust of a High Official

Circa 1400 BC, 18th Dynasty, Egypt 
Granodiorite 
Height: 17.5 cm, Width: 15.1 cm

£22,500

Description

A bust from a larger statue carved from black granodiorite, depicting the head and upper torso of an ancient Egyptian man. The man wears a bag wig, identifying him as an official of high rank. The face is round, with carefully carved features. The thin, almond-shaped eyes are framed by long cosmetic lines in slightly raised relief. The eyebrows are squared in the centre, and run parallel to the cosmetic lines, stretching towards the edge of the face. The broad nose sits above a full mouth, with a particularly thick lower lip. A rectangular block backs the bust and projects above the proper left shoulder, most likely the remains of a chair. The hand of another figure rests on the back of the bust’s proper right shoulder, identifying it as having been originally part of a pair statue. 
 
Pair statues date back to Egypt’s Old Kingdom, with the earliest documented examples dating to the reign of King Djoser in the Third Dynasty (circa 2675-2625 BC). They represented a range of relationships: husband and wife, mother and son, mother and daughter, among others. These sculptures were intended to express the physical and spiritual bond between the pairing, and tended to show them seated together on a chair or bench, either holding hands, or with their arms wrapped around each other. 

Published

Classical, Egyptian and Western Asiatic Antiquities, Christie’s, London, 24 February 1970, Lot 81, p. 23, pl. XIV. 

Provenance

Previously in a Private Collection, Munich, by at least 1970. 
Sold at: Classical, Egyptian and Western Asiatic Antiquities, Christie’s, London, 24 February 1970, Lot 81, p. 23, pl. XIV. 
Private Collection of JHH Claessen (1926-2026), Netherlands, acquired from the above sale. 
Private Collection, UK, acquired from the above, 2002. 
ALR: S00274659, with IADAA Certificate, this item has been checked against the Interpol database.  

Alternate Text Alternate Text