An Egyptian Wood Figure of a Crocodile, Sacred to the God Sobek, Late 12th/ 13th Dynasty, circa 1800-1640 B.C.

possibly from the lid of a crocodile coffin, resting on a fragmentary base with head lifted and jaws agape, the markings of the thick hide finely carved.

Lolo Sarnoff (1916-2014), Bethesda, Maryland and Barnard, Vermont, a gift to her in the late 1930s or early 1940s from Denise, née Mosseri, who married Lolo Sarnoff’s brother Richard Dreyfus in 1941. 

The philanthropist and sculptor Lolo Sarnoff, much of whose great art collection was sold recently at Sotheby’s, came from a distinguished heritage of connoisseurship. Her father was the Frankfurt banker and art collector Willy Dreyfus. Her mother Martha, née Koch, also a sculptor and the subject of portraits by Vlaminck and Kokoschka, remarried in 1945 a friend from her youth, the legendary art collector Robert von Hirsch.

Damages as shown and described, most of the tail, part of the lower jaw, and all of the right front foot missing. The left front foot, along with part of the base, exists and was formerly glued to the leg, but is now detached. The left hind-leg is mostly missing, as is much of the left flank and underside, caused it appears by insect damage. There appears to be what may be an attachment dowel on the right flank. Other minor imperfections as shown. The crocodile is attached to the old (late 19th century?) velvet-covered wood base with a single screw underneath.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

For a considerably smaller but otherwise very similar wood crocodile see Betsy Teasley Trope, Stephen Quirke, and Peter Lacovara, Excavating Egypt: Great Discoveries from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Atlanta, 2005, p. 66. The author notes that it may have come from a protective “magic wand” or related object.