Lot 4
Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, Dynasties 26 through 31, ca. 672 to 332 BCE. A mesmerizing pair of ancient Egyptian eye inlays, each forged in patinated bronze and inlaid with almond-shaped sclerae and rounded pupils of creamy stone. Their elongated forms and sharply delineated cosmetic lines conjure the quintessential gaze of Egyptian statuary - wide, intense, and eternal. These inlays once adorned the face of a coffin or a mummiform figure, their careful construction reflecting the Egyptian belief that the deceased must retain the ability to see into the afterlife. The irises and pupils are rendered in ochre-hued stone, set within pale sclerae carved from limestone or possibly alabaster, and framed by bronze rims that still bear traces of a greenish patina. The tails curve dramatically downward, suggesting stylized cosmetic lines that mimic the application of kohl, symbolizing protection and divine vision. Size of larger (both similar): 2.4" L x 1" W (6.1 cm x 2.5 cm)
Such eyes were commonly inserted into wooden anthropoid coffins or placed within plaster or cartonnage masks, giving a hauntingly lifelike quality to the funerary figure. By granting the deceased the semblance of sight, these elements ensured their readiness to meet Osiris and to see the journey of rebirth unfold. Comparable inlays can be found in collections such as the British Museum and the Louvre, often still embedded in the sockets of masks or embedded in wooden fittings. Though small in scale, these ocular adornments are potent artifacts of Egyptian mortuary ritual - symbols not only of vision but of vigilance beyond the grave.
Provenance: ex-T.F. Holy Lands collection, formed since the 1960s; ex-private UK collection; ex-London, UK collection, 1970s
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#195354
- Condition: Repatinated in areas. Some nicks, abrasions, and surface wear, commensurate with age, but, otherwise, both are intact and very nice with rich encrustations and earthen deposits throughout.
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