POSSIBLY DYNASTY XXII-XXIII (945-712 B.C.)

Details

AN EGYPTIAN BROWN HAEMATITE ROYAL AMULET IN THE FORM OF A HEADREST
POSSIBLY DYNASTY XXII-XXIII (945-712 B.C.)
The tall stem with the figure of a crouching male baboon in low relief, wearing a horned sun-disc headdress, the reverse with an incised cartouche of 'Usermaatre', repaired
1 1/8 in. (2.8 cm.) high

Provenance

Acquired in the 1990s, The Merrin Gallery, New York.

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

PUBLISHED:
Animals, 2004, VI, no. 24.

Arielle Kozloff notes in the above that both Ramesses III and his son, Ramesses V, used the name 'Usermaatre' as their throne name, as did ten kings from the later Libyan dynasties. Headrests, either full size or amulets, were an important part of the burial gifts, as they ensured that the deceased's head would rest easy and not be severed from its body. Their function is explained in the Book of the Dead, chapter 166, the Chapter of the Headrest.

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