Egyptian Limestone Block Statue & Stand, ex-Christie's

About Auction

Live

DAY 1 | Antiquities, Asian, Russian, Fine Art...

By Artemis Gallery

Jun 20, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-06-20 10:00:00 2018-06-20 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : DAY 1 | Antiquities, Asian, Russian, Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/day-1-antiquities-asian-russian-fine-art-3276
Day 1 of an important 2-day auction featuring exceptional art from around the world Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

View Full Catalog (257)

• Lot Description
  Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 30th Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE; stand purportedly by Kichizo Inagaki, 1876 to 1951 CE. An exquisite block statue, hand-carved from chalky-white limestone. The idealized face depicts almond-shaped eyes with long cosmetic lines on each corner, curved eyebrows, smooth cheeks, a rounded chin, naturalistic ears, and full lips drawn into a slight smile, all beneath a plain wig. The figure sits with disembodied hands crossed atop recessed legs, the front of which displays five horizontal lines of inscribed hieroglyphic text. An integral rectangular base once supported the statue, though only the back half remains. Traces of original black, red, and tan pigmentation are still visible on the sides, verso, and top of the figure. Adding to the presentation is a polished wooden stand, purportedly carved by famed Japanese wood-carver Kichizo Inagaki. A truly stunning example of fine Egyptian craftsmanship! Size: 4.75" W x 10.375" H (12.1 cm x 26.4 cm); 6.5" W x 12.25" H (16.5 cm x 31.1 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  The hieroglyphs on the front face of the statue have been professionally translated, though the fifth line of text has been damaged so the translation is incomplete. When translated, the text reads: "An offering which the King gives to Horus of Nekhen, and Nekhbet, the Majesty of Nekhen, and Osiris, the Lord of Rosetau, that they may give invocation-offerings of bread and beer, oxen and fowl, alabaster vessels and clothing, incense and oil, all produce and vegetables, cool water, wine and milk, and all good things on which a god may live, for the One Bound to the Temple, Iri…"
  
  Egyptian block statues – also known as cubic statues - were created as a type of memorial statue or as a funerary monument to non-royal individuals of importance which first emerged in the Middle Kingdom era (ca. 2055 to 1650 BCE). These statues became increasingly popular as a means of honoring and venerating the dead throughout the New Kingdom and Third Intermediate dynastic periods, eventually becoming a generic form of ceremonial offering in the Late Dynastic period. Their relatively flat front faces allowed the living to inscribe countless types of offerings, prayers, invocations, and protective spells to guide the soul of the deceased – referred to as "ba" – through the perils of the afterlife, eventually reaching the hallowed fields of Osiris.
  
  Block statues were traditionally displayed inside a small niche carved into a stone facade - one of the earliest interpretations of a "false door" for the soul. A false door is meant as a gateway for the soul to re-enter a dedicatory effigy each morning during the rising sun, essentially acting as a daytime home for the soul rather than wandering aimlessly throughout the afterlife. Family members of the deceased would inscribe certain offerings on the front of these statues and would occasionally leave physical offerings meant for the gods entrusted with protecting the soul of their loved one. Egyptologists Erik Hornung and Betsy Morrell Bryan explain how, upon re-entering the statue, the soul would essentially become of equal standing with the gods, symbolically enabling the deceased to share with the gods the given offerings and show that they were not suffering in the afterlife (The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt. National Gallery of Art, 2002, p. 209).
  
  The importance of a wooden stand created by world-renowned wood carver Kichizo Inagaki is just as significant as the piece it is meant to display. Carved with extreme precision and care, an Inagaki stand was intended to present a piece of art in a perfect state of cohesiveness with the stand itself. Notice how the block statue is mounted; despite the frontal losses, it sits upright as it would have appeared thousands of years ago. The recessed groove along the top face and roughly-triangular support embraces the statue in such a way that there is next to no room for the stone to jostle against the wood. While much of his work was crafted for private clientele, some noteworthy customers of Mr. Inagaki are Paul Guillaume, Charles Ratton, and Albert Barnes; even French master sculptor Auguste Rodin commissioned custom stands for most of his fine art collection. Though this stand does not bear Mr. Inagaki’s stamp, it is not unusual as he did not typically mark every base or mounting which left his studio.
  
  For a similar limestone example, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1993.161: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/549533
  
  For a similar example in granodiorite, please see The Walters Art Museum, accession number 22.178: http://art.thewalters.org/detail/33974/block-statue-of-ankh-pekhred/
  
  For an older limestone example displaying pigmentation, please see The British Museum, museum number EA1131: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=119430&partId=1&images=true
  
  An Ivory Coast Baule wooden mask displayed on a Kichizo Inagaki stand – the inspiration for the horse in Pablo Picasso’s masterwork "Guernica" – hammered for $1,445,000 at Christie’s, New York "A Dialogue Through Art: Works from the Jan Krugier Collection Evening Sale" Auction (sale 3442, November 4, 2013, lot 12): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/sculptures-statues-figures/baule-mask-ivory-coast-5729540-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5729540&sid=5828f360-f17c-4234-b491-56b7e6888ceb
  
  Provenance: private Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA collection; ex-Christie's, New York Antiquities Auction (sale 9666, June 8, 2001, lot 112); ex-private Asian collection, purchased between 1968 and 1972
  
  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.
  
  #133835

  Condition

  Losses to lower front of statue and integral base with some roughness and orange mounting residue on bottom. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age as expected, fading to inscribed text and pigmentation, losses to areas of face, hands, base, front, and verso, and some yellowing to limestone. Nice pigmentation traces on sides, shoulder, and verso, and light earthen deposits throughout. Wooden stand has some abrasions and minor nicks to sides and top, otherwise intact.
• Shipping Info

  • All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Gallery will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please inquire BEFORE bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items.

• Buyer's Premium
  • 26.50 %