MIDDLE KINGDOM, 13TH DYNASTY, 1783-1640 B.C.

Details

AN EGYPTIAN SERPENTINITE PRIEST
MIDDLE KINGDOM, 13TH DYNASTY, 1783-1640 B.C.
Depicted seated on a throne with his feet together, the right arm resting on his right thigh, the left folded across his chest, a lily in his fisted left hand, wearing a smooth wig, his oval face tapering to a rounded chin, with a broad nose and a straight mouth, the philtrum indicated, his elongated eyes with extending cosmetic lines, inscribed with three columns of hieroglyphs on the proper right side of the seat, reading: "A Royal Offering Formula to Osiris...the [Great] God, Ruler of Eternity, that he may give invocation-offerings of bread and beer, oxen and fowl, thousand of every good, pure thing on which a god lives, for the Ka of the physician(?) and wab-priest of Amun Senwosr," three columns on the proper left side, reading: "(and to) Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, that they may give all of that which comes forth on their altar in the course of every day, for the Ka of the physician(?) and wab-priest of Mut Sewosr, It is who causes to live," a column on the back pillar, reading: "the King's Butler, Child of the Kap, Nefer-menu," and a column on the front of the garment, reading: "(and) all of that which comes forth on the altar of all the gods, for the Ka of wife Ihed"
9½ in. (24.1 cm.) high

Provenance

Private Collection, New York, acquired in Egypt prior to 1971.

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Lot Essay

The 13th Dynasty was a time of chaos, with the central organization of the state disintegrating. In many cases more is known about local officials than the pharaohs themselves, which is reflected in sculpture. As the present example exhibits, portraiture no longer shows the individualism of the previous dynasty, but becomes more idealized and generic. The number of skilled sculptors declined, and therefore softer materials, like serpentinite, became increasingly popular due to their malleability and resemblance to the harder stones, such as granodiorite, previously favored. Here, this sculptor was careful to exploit the tiny nodules of olivine, which glisten on the cloak over the man's shoulder, resembling the spots of a cheetah skin, a costume reserved for priests.

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