A ROMANO-EGYPTIAN PORPHYRY BUST OF OSIRIS-CANOPUS
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A ROMANO-EGYPTIAN PORPHYRY BUST OF OSIRIS-CANOPUS

CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details
A ROMANO-EGYPTIAN PORPHYRY BUST OF OSIRIS-CANOPUS
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
In the form of a heart-shaped vessel with relief naos and protective winged scarab, 3¾ in. (9.6 cm.) high; the upper part of a bronze figure of Osiris, 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm.) high; six other bronze figures of deities comprising two Osiris figures, two figures of Isis and Harpocrates, and two of Nefertum, all circa 6th-1st Century B.C., 4¼ in. (10.7 cm.) high max.; a bronze fragmentary lion bracelet; a bronze bird; and a bronze Ptah, 7 in. (17.8 cm.) high max., various periods, all mounted (11)
Provenance
Osiris-Canopus: sold Sotheby's London, 15 December 1981, lot 680.
Small Nefertum: sold Sotheby's London, 27 July 1981, part lot 251. Large Nefertum and Ptah: sold Christie's London, 6 May 1982, lots 89 and 125.
Two Osiris figures: Davis Antiques, London, 1979.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. Please note that the lots of Iranian origin are subject to U.S. trade restrictions which currently prohibit the import into the United States. Similar restrictions may apply in other countries.

Lot Essay

The Eastern desert in Egypt was the source of porphyry, which was highly prized in the ancient world. For an Osiris-Canopus from recent underwater excavations at Heracleion on the Egyptian delta coast, cf. Exhibition catalogue, Trésors engloutis d'Égypte, Paris, 2006, p. 71, fig. 2, p. 78, no. 1.
The cult of Osiris-Canopus, especially popular in the 1st Century A.D., developed around the idea of water being the source of life and death; and, by means of Osiris, the deceased was ensured rebirth.

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