AN EGYPTIAN ALABASTER ‘IMSETY’ CANOPIC JAR HEAD, NEW KINGDOM-LATE PERIOD, DYNASTY XVIII-XXVI

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AN EGYPTIAN ALABASTER ‘IMSETY’ CANOPIC JAR HEAD, NEW KINGDOM-LATE PERIOD, DYNASTY XVIII-XXVI This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005: “No. 79, LC, Egypt. Canopic lid Asmeth. 18th-26th Dyn.” Gallery price: EUR 11,400 or approx. EUR 19,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing. Egypt, circa 1550-525 BC. The lid carved in the form of the head of the Son of Horus, Imsety, the guardian of the liver, wearing a smooth wide wig over his small round face with large turned-out ears, the almond-shaped eyes rimmed, the nose with wide nostrils, and the mouth with fleshy lips. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Width 14 cm, Height 13 cm Canopic jars contained internal organs removed from the body during the mummification process. The jars came in sets of four, one each for the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines. The present example depicts Imsety, guardian of the liver, wearing a wide wig leaving his ears exposed. Imsety was one of the Four Sons of Horus, divine guardians in Egyptian funerary belief. He was depicted with a human head and entrusted with the protection of the liver of the deceased. Unlike his brothers with animal forms, his human appearance stressed closeness to mankind. Imsety was under the protection of Isis, linking him to healing, motherhood, and the myth of Osiris’s resurrection. He was also connected to the south, forming part of the sons’ role as cosmic protectors of the four directions. In funerary texts, he is invoked to preserve vitality and rebirth, ensuring the liver remained unharmed for use in the afterlife. Through this role, Imsety embodied divine care, protection, and renewal within Egyptian religion. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related calcite canopic jar head dated ca. 1569-1081 BC in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, inventory number INV 9933. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams London, 6 October 2010, lot 29 Mid-Estimate: GBP 7,000 or approx. EUR 13,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, stone, subject, and size (13 cm).

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