Egyptian Late Period Bronze Ibis Leg w/ Foot

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 21, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-02-21 10:00:00 2019-02-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-3858
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Ancient Egypt, Late Period, ca. 712 to 300 BCE. A lifesize, cast bronze leg and foot from a bronze and wood model of an ibis, with heavy tabs for inserting it into a body and plinth at top and bottom respectively. The foot is naturalistic, with clearly depicted joints, webbing between the long toes, and short claws. This originally would have been inserted into a wooden body, alongside a similarly-shaped, bronze other leg and foot, with a bronze head, forming a dynamic statue like the one in the link below at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Size: 5.35" W x 12.95" H (13.6 cm x 32.9 cm); 13.3" H (33.8 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  The ibis, an elegant, long-legged wading bird that lives along the shores of the Nile, was associated with the god Thoth and, later, the sage Imhotep. He was the god of wisdom and writing, and in worship to him ibises were ritually sacrificed, embalmed, and mummified before being buried in underground galleries. As shocking as it may seem, there were millions of these burials, many of which have been excavated at Saqqara, near Memphis, Egypt's ancient capital. Saqqara was a temple complex with a large system of catacombs underneath it. DNA analysis on other animal mummies leads us to believe that millions of animals were bred specifically by the ancient Egyptians to be sacrificed and mummified. Especially during the Late Period, the Egyptians seem to have been obsessed with ibis (and other animal) mummies, which, in the case of ibises, were used to gain Thoth's favor. The sculpture that this leg and foot came from likely graced a temple dedicated to the god.
  
  See a complete example of a wood and bronze ibis at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, USA: https://www.mfah.org/art/detail/90009
  
  Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, acquired in the 1980s
  
  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.
  
  #143606

  Condition

  Dark patina on surface. Nicely intact, with excellently preserved details.
• Shipping Info

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