AN EGYPTIAN PAINTED LIMESTONE ‘QEBEHSENUEF’ CANOPIC JAR HEAD, LATE PERIOD

拍品描述

AN EGYPTIAN PAINTED LIMESTONE ‘QEBEHSENUEF’ CANOPIC JAR HEAD, LATE PERIOD This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve Egypt, 664-332 BC. The lid carved in the form of the head of the Son of Horus, Qebehsenuef, protector of the intestines, wearing a smooth wide wig, his falcon’s face with finely carved features, sharply hooked beak, and large round eyes with incised markings. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Length 15.5 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 Qebehsenuef, guardian of the intestines, wearing a wide wig over its painted expression. Qebehsenuef is one of the four so-called sons of Horus that are often depicted as mummies, each with a different head. The sons of Horus were deities who protected the internal organs and are probably best known from their representations on the lids of the canopic jars that contained mummified viscera. They were also thought to assist in the process of mummification and to provide nourishment, possibly because they were associated with the internal organs. Thus, they had a general protective function for the deceased. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related painted canopic jar lid of a falcon head, dated to 664-332 BC, 12 cm high, in the National Museums Liverpool, accession number 1978.291.190. Compare a closely related canopic jar lid of a falcon head, dated to 664-525 BC, 10.3 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 41.160.123. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 8 December 2011, lot 37 Price: USD 34,375 or approx. EUR 45,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar beak. Note the size (21.7 cm) and different stone.

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