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THBEgyptian Cedar / Painted Gesso Mummy Mask
Lot 6
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,800 - $2,500
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| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Dec 5, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-12-05 10:00:00
2019-12-05 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ancient / Ethnographic - Holiday Edition
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic---holiday-edition-4710
What to give this holiday season? Ancient & Ethnographic Art of course! Our special Holiday auction features hundreds of unique finds from all over the world. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
What to give this holiday season? Ancient & Ethnographic Art of course! Our special Holiday auction features hundreds of unique finds from all over the world. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (402)
- Lot Description
Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. A beautiful example of a hand-carved cedar mummy mask with fine graining visible throughout. The serene countenance is defined by narrow eyes beneath plateaued brows, a slender nose with flared nostrils, pursed lips with indented corners, rounded cheeks, a tapered chin, and tab-shaped ears, all beneath a tall headdress with projecting corners that sits low on the smooth forehead. Layers of white gesso cover most surfaces of the face and headdress, and traces of pale yellow and black pigment can be seen on the obverse. Three original dowels remain within the dowel holes on the headdress and chin, and these exemplify how masks like this example were attached to the head of a mummy. Size: 8.25" W x 10.3" H (21 cm x 26.2 cm); 15.1" H (38.4 cm) on included custom stand.
The mask was an essential part of the mummy, placed over the head to provide an idealized image of the deceased as they would be resurrected. This mask and others like it were traditionally carved from cedar. Interestingly, cedar wood was not native to Egypt. Egypt did not have verdant forests filled with tall trees, and unfortunately most of its native lumber was of relatively poor quality. So, they relied on importing to acquire hardwoods - ebony imported from Africa, cedar and pine from Lebanon. One fabulous obelisk inscription by Thutmose III attests to the luxury of treasured hardwoods. It reads as follows, "They brought to me the choicest products . . . consisting of cedar, juniper and of meru wood . . . all the good sweet woods of God's Land." (Obelisk inscription by Thutmose III - J. H. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Two, p. 321)
Provenance: private J.H. collection, Beaverton, Oregon, USA, acquired in the early 2000s; ex-Edgar L. Owen, Ltd., Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, USA
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.
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#150063Losses to areas of ears, parts of original dowels, peripheries, and verso as shown. Fading and chipping to original gesso and pigmentation, with abrasions to headdress, ears, and face, a few stable hairline fissures, and extensive inactive insect damage to verso. Nice earthen deposits throughout, and great traces of original painted gesso on obverse.Condition
- Shipping Info
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