Egyptian Leaded Bronze Oxyrhynchus w/ Crown of Hathor

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Ancient & Ethnographic Art Through The Ages

By Artemis Gallery

Oct 22, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-10-22 10:00:00 2020-10-22 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Ancient & Ethnographic Art Through The Ages https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-art-through-the-ages-5850
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• Lot Description
  Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. A well preserved and finely detailed figure of an oxyrhynchus (Nile perch) fish cast from leaded bronze with a streamlined aquatic body bearing a segmented dorsal fin, anal and pelvic fins, and a narrow tail. The tapered, conical head bears a pair of narrow eyes and the neckline is incised with a plaited collar pattern. The head is surmounted by the crown of Hathor composed of a sun disc flanked with a pair of bull horns and a frontal uraeus cobra, and behind the crown is an integral suspension loop. Matte layers of green, brown, citrine, and blue-green patina envelop the entire composition. Size: 5.875" L x 3.1" H (14.9 cm x 7.9 cm)
  
  The ancient Egyptians worshipped this fish at the town of Medjed, which, after Alexander the Great's conquest, was renamed to be "Oxyrhynchus" in Greek. The fish played a role in one of the most important stories in Egyptian mythology, attesting to the rebirth and immortality of the god Osiris. Although there are many forms of the myth, the general outline of the story is this: Osiris and his queen Isis ruled Egypt. Osiris's brother, Set, had him murdered, but Isis found his remains. She raised him from the dead using the sacred mysteries of mummification and he impregnated her; then he died again, and she hid his body in the desert and gave birth to his son, Horus. Set, enraged, found the remains of Osiris and tore his body into pieces that he scattered throughout the land. Isis gathered all of these pieces up - except the penis, which had been eaten by the medjed. Many towns in Egypt claimed to be places where body parts of Osiris were found - towns could profit from pilgrims and worshippers - and Medjed was no exception. This figure, made of relatively expensive bronze, probably functioned as a ritual item held by a temple, or may have been a votive ornament purchased by a wealthy pilgrim or worshipper.
  
  Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 04.2.660
  
  Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000; ex-private New York, New York, USA collection, acquired in 1968
  
  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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  #158873

  Condition

  Losses to areas of original base, tips of bull horns, and tips of tail as shown. Abrasions and softening to some finer details, with light encrustations. Great patina throughout.
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