A SMALL EGYPTIAN LAPIS LAZULI DIVINE FALSE BEARD, LATE TO HELLENISTIC PERIOD

拍品描述

A SMALL EGYPTIAN LAPIS LAZULI DIVINE FALSE BEARD, LATE TO HELLENISTIC PERIOD This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve Egypt, c. 664-30 BC. Subtly carved with four facets, of elongated, gently tapered form, its surface marked by delicate transverse striations evoking the braided strands of the pointed beard. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Length 3.2 cm Egyptian nobility typically shaved their faces in life, although moustaches and square-cut beards occasionally came into fashion. Long, tightly plaited beards with an upturned tip were reserved for the divine realm. Many male deities, such as Osiris, god of the underworld, are depicted wearing this distinctive beard. Accordingly, representations of the deceased, who, upon entering the afterlife, became associated with Osiris, often include this braided, curved beard. The use of dark-blue lapis lazuli in this small beard reflects the belief that divine hair, beards, eyebrows, and eyelashes were made of this semiprecious stone. Literature comparison: Compare a similar glass and faience inlaid bronze beard from a statue of a god, dated Late Period to Graeco-Roman period, 664-30 BC, 7.7 cm long, in the Brooklyn Museum, accession number 16.241.

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