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Lot Essay
The Ba was the human-headed bird that represented the soul of the deceased and could travel between life and the afterlife. To place the ba next to the deceased helped him recognize, reunite with, and recharge his body (cf. P. Lacovara, B. Teasly Trope, S. H. D'Audria (eds), The Collector's Eye: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from the Thalassix Collection, Ltd, Atlanta, 2001, p. 118, no. 69). This composition recalls illustrations of Chapter 89 of the Book of the Dead and can be found during a short period in the New Kingdom. It seems to have been an invention of the time of Amenhotep III and cannot be found after Ramesses II (cf. R. E. Freed, Pharaohs of the Sun, Boston, 1999, p. 205, no. 15).
A number of parallels to the present lot can be found in museums, including in the Louvre, but the most famous example of the type is probably that of Tutankhamun in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Examples of non-royal figures depict the deceased, sometimes accompanied by his wife, wearing a duplex wig with echeloned curls for men, and a broad wig for women. The present lot is unique for its combination of the deceased in the apparent guise of Ptah, with the presence of his individual ba-bird, his soul, which signifies his humanity.
For more, see C. E. Loeben, 'Ein Rundbild als Textillustration – Turin 2805 und zur Gruppe der sogenannten 'Bahrenuschebtis'', in J. Osing and G. Dreyer, Form und Maß – Festschrift für Gerhard Fecht zum 65. Geburtstag am 6. Februar 1987, Ägypten und Altes Testament, vol. 12, Wiesbaden, 1987, pp. 286-306.
A number of parallels to the present lot can be found in museums, including in the Louvre, but the most famous example of the type is probably that of Tutankhamun in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Examples of non-royal figures depict the deceased, sometimes accompanied by his wife, wearing a duplex wig with echeloned curls for men, and a broad wig for women. The present lot is unique for its combination of the deceased in the apparent guise of Ptah, with the presence of his individual ba-bird, his soul, which signifies his humanity.
For more, see C. E. Loeben, 'Ein Rundbild als Textillustration – Turin 2805 und zur Gruppe der sogenannten 'Bahrenuschebtis'', in J. Osing and G. Dreyer, Form und Maß – Festschrift für Gerhard Fecht zum 65. Geburtstag am 6. Februar 1987, Ägypten und Altes Testament, vol. 12, Wiesbaden, 1987, pp. 286-306.