5th C. Egyptian Coptic Limestone Relief of Male Nude

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Exceptional Antiquities, Ethnographic and Fin...

By Artemis Gallery

Jun 29, 2023

Set Reminder 2023-06-29 10:00:00 2023-06-29 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Ethnographic and Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-ethnographic-and-fine-art-13031
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• Lot Description
  Egypt, Late Antiquity / Byzantine period, Coptic culture, ca. 5th to 6th century CE. A fabulous limestone carving featuring the high relief of a nude male - perhaps intended as Adam. The figure leans forward from behind foliate palm leaves, his bare body comprised of bent legs, an elongated torso, an extending phallus, and a naturalistic head with a cropped coiffure. His large eyes gaze to the right, possibly towards Eve who would have been on the adjoining tile. Note how the figure and the plant stalks are deeply undercut to convey depth. Limestone was the most easily worked and thus the most common sculptural material in Egypt in Late Antiquity. The heavy use of the drill in this example suggests that it was not carved before the early 4th century when such tooling became common. Size: 12.8" W x 11.5" H (32.5 cm x 29.2 cm); 12.3" H (31.2 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Copt is the name that was gradually attached to Egyptian Christians who, following the Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE, broke with the majority of Christians on the question of the precise nature of Jesus as both god and human. They are ethnic Egyptians who spoke the native language and practiced Christianity, yet wrote in the Greek alphabet. For a long period of history, native Egyptians were under the rule of others—Persians, Hellenistic Greeks, Romans, the Byzantine Empire and Islamic Arabs. Today, instead of using the term Coptic art, scholars prefer to say, “late antique art from Egypt,” thus emphasizing the fact that this art was made by and for native Egyptians, Greeks and Romans who favored both classical pagan and Christian themes. This mixture of cultures defines late antique art from Egypt.
  
  Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private New York, USA collection, acquired prior to 1970
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #179576

  Condition

  Fragment of a larger piece with loss of animal or plant figure in lower right. Expected nicks, chips, and abrasions to surface as shown. Otherwise, excellent presentation with nice remaining detail and light earthen deposits throughout.
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