Description:

**Originally Listed At $2000**

Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A beautiful mold-formed faience pendant of Nephthys, the goddess of night and sleep, striding atop an integral plinth in a form-fitting sheath dress and holding both arms to her hips, all enveloped in black and turquoise glaze. Her petite face is framed with the lappets of her tripartite wig, and atop her head is her signature headdress which resembles a temple or estate layout. A suspension hole drilled through the middle of her dorsal pillar suggests this figure was worn on a necklace strand at one time. Size: 0.8" W x 3.3" H (2 cm x 8.4 cm); 3.5" H (8.9 cm) on included custom stand.

The goddess Nephthys is one of the oldest deities of ancient Egypt and, accordingly, one of the most symbolically significant. She is the daughter of Geb (god of the earth) and Nut (goddess of the sky), and is the mother of Anubis, the jackal-headed god of embalming and the dead. Nephthys' association with death and darkness originates from the bipolarity of light and dark she shares with her sister Isis, the goddess of light and rebirth, and the symbols most-commonly associated with the goddess are the temple (as seen on her headdress), the hawk, and the sycamore tree.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Thomaston Place Auctions, Maine, USA, November 8, 2008, lot 424; ex-private Midwest, USA collection; ex-Parsons collection, acquired in 1890

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#175463

  • Condition: Some expected nicks, pitting, and softening of detail, commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with nice remaining pigments. Wearable as a pendant.

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April 6, 2023 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
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$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000