Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art Part I
Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art Part I
Property from a Florida Private Collection
An Egyptian Pale Blue-green Ushabti of Neferibresaneith, 26th Dynasty, period of Amasis, 570-526 B.C.
Auction Closed
December 6, 03:36 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from a Florida Private Collection
An Egyptian Pale Blue-green Ushabti of Neferibresaneith
26th Dynasty, period of Amasis, 570-526 B.C.
Wab priest of the king, Royal Chancellor of Lower Egypt, Administrator of the Palace, and son of Shepen-Bastet, holding the hoe, pick, and seed-sack, and wearing a braided beard and striated tripartite wig, his finely modeled face with full lips, straight nose, and long contoured eyebrows and cosmetic lines, the eight lines of inscription beginning and ending at the back pillar.
Height 17.8 cm.
by descent to the present owner
According to J.-F. and L. Aubert (Statuettes Égyptiennes:Chaouabtis, Ouchebtis, Paris, 1974, p. 230), "The ushabtis of Neferibresaneith are among the most beautiful ones of the Late Period, comparable in quality to those of Psamtik-Meryptah." They were cast using four matrices then were finished by hand (see B. Peterson, "Gesicht und Kunststil," Medelhavmuseet, Bulletin 12, 1977, pp. 22ff.).
The Tomb of Neferibresaneith was found in 1929 at Saqqara, south of the funerary complex of King Userkaf. In all, 366 ushabtis were found, most of them resting on the lid of the stone sarcophagus under the carbonized wood box (see E. Drioton and J.P. Lauer, "Les tombes jumelées de Neferibrê-Sa-Neith et Ouahibrê-Men," Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte, vol 51, 1951, pp. 469-490; Porter and Moss, Topographical Bibliography, vol. III.2, p. 587). Aubert (op. cit., p. 230) notes that a large number of these figurines were officially dispersed and sold by the Service des Antiquités and found their way into public and private collections. For other examples see André B. Wiese, Égypte, moments d'éternité, Mainz, 1997, no. 160, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, April 24th-25th, 1970, no. 110, cover illus., Sotheby's, New York, June 13th, 2002, no. 29, December 6th, 2006, no. 76, and December 5th, 2007, no. 29.