Lot 3
Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, ca. 305 to 30 BCE. An exemplary leaded-bronze statue of Thoth, the ibis-headed god of writing, the moon, and generally all things intellectual. Detailed with fine lines of silvering, the deity stands in a striding pose with his left leg extended atop an integral rectangular plinth with incised hieroglyphs and Greek letters wrapping around the periphery. He wears a pleated, knee-length shendyt around his waist. Rounded shoulders droop downward to bent arms and left hand holds an alabastron-shaped offering vessel as he gestures with the right. Thoths characteristic ibis head projects outward from beneath an incised tripartite headdress atop a curved tubular neck and presents petite eyes beneath heavy brows and a slender beak. Lustrous layers of green and brown patina cover the entirety of this rare bronze rendering of Thoth! Size: 2" L x 1.4" W x 4.9" H (5.1 cm x 3.6 cm x 12.4 cm); 6" H (15.2 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 deity Thoth. He was the god of wisdom and writing, and in worship to him many thousands of ibises were ritually sacrificed, embalmed, and mummified before being buried in underground galleries. Thousands of these burials have been excavated at Sakkara, near Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. Scholars posit that statuettes like this example served as votive offerings to specific deities or as funerary offerings to be placed inside of tombs along the with body of a recently-deceased individual.
Provenance: private Rancho Mirage, California, USA collection, by inheritance in 2020; ex-Dr. TDR Berreth, California, USA, acquired before 1982
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#179008
- Condition: Professional repair with light restoration to shoulders, chest and back. Chip to tip of beak and light surface wear as shown with abrasions rendering hieroglyphs and Greek letters indecipherable. Areas of resurfacing and possible touching up to silvering. Otherwise, intact and excellent with rich patina and nice remaining detail.
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