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THBEgyptian Faience Pendant - Hippopotamus Grazing
About Seller
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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About Auction
LiveNov 10, 2022
Museum-worthy examples of classical antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Viking, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Nautical, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine / Visual Arts, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
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- Lot Description
Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st to 25th Dynasty, ca. 1070 to 664 BCE. An extremely rare and desirable pendant depicting a hippopotamus as it grazes on the lush vegetation beneath it. Mold-formed from faience and covered in lustrous layers of azure blue glaze, the magnificent mammal stands with a quartet of nubbin legs atop an integral rectangular plinth and presses its snout onto the ground, its protruding eyes peering forward towards its next bite. The plump, egg-shaped body tilts slightly downwards towards the neckline and is surmounted by a perforated suspension loop, and a sinuous tail hangs between the sizable haunches. Hippopotami were believed to be both malevolent and benevolent creatures, and their association with fertility suggests this pendant was bound to the linen wrappings of a mummy to ensure resurrection and rebirth in the afterlife. An extremely scarce zoomorphic example from ancient Egypt! Size: 1.45" L x 0.57" W x 0.83" H (3.7 cm x 1.4 cm x 2.1 cm)
According to Egyptologist Dorothea Arnold, "The hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius, must have been very common in Egypt during the earlier periods, but man's hunting pursuits and ever-increasing encroachment on the hippo's wetland environment gradually reduced the number of these magnificent beasts. The last wild hippos were seen in Egypt in the first half of the nineteenth century. The Egyptians were well aware of the phenomenal strength of the hippopotamus… [though] The awe inspired by an animal that could devastate a farmer's field overnight was tempered by the Egyptians' belief in the animal's revitalizing power. As a creature from the fertile mud, the hippo embodied divine powers guaranteeing rebirth. One might recognize this benevolent aspect of the beast in the friendly faces of many hippo figures." (Arnold, Dorothea. "An Egyptian Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1995, Vol. LII, no. 4, p. 33)
Provenance: private Boynton Beach, Florida, USA collection; ex-Ghassan Haddad collection, London, UK and New York City, New York, USA, from the 1970s to 1980s; ex-private Montreal, Quebec, Canada collection
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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#168986Minor nicks and abrasions to animal and plinth, with several hairline striations to faience underneath glazing, softening to some finer details, light encrustations, and pitting in scattered areas, otherwise intact and excellent. Fantastic preservation to lustrous glaze pigment and zoomorphic form.Condition
- Shipping Info
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Artemis Gallery will no longer be able to offer in-house shipping for most international orders, as well as all oversized orders, including most paintings. These items are clearly marked in the listing as “3rd Party Shipping Required” in the listing. We have a list of recommended third party shippers to assist you in shipping to and from, and would be happy to assist you in working with them. We require a written authorization from the client to release property to any third party. You may fax a Shipping Release Form to 303-828-3235 or email your authorization to kristen@artemisgallery.com. Please note the all property must be removed from our premises within seven (7) business days following the last day of the auction.
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