A FINE POLYCHROME LIMESTONE RELIEF FRAGMENT WITH THE NILE GOD HAPI, NEW KINGDOM, DYNASTY XVIII-XIX
A FINE POLYCHROME LIMESTONE RELIEF FRAGMENT WITH THE NILE GOD HAPI, NEW KINGDOM, DYNASTY XVIII-XIX
Expert's note
The surviving composition strongly suggests that this fragment once belonged to the lower register of a temple wall, where processions of fecundity figures carried the bounty of Egypt toward the gods. A closely related conception appears on the limestone relief from the Chapel of Ramesses I at the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, dated to circa 1299-1290 BC, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object number 11.155.3a (fig. 1). Its lower register incorporates Nile gods, two of whom bind the lotus and papyrus around the sema-tawy emblem, while others approach bearing vessels of fresh water symbolizing life, happiness, food, and provisions. Such figures formed an important component of temple decoration, embodying the fertility and abundance upon which Egypt and its cults depended.
The pendant breast, full torso, and offering table of the present figure are characteristic of this tradition. Particularly close is a relief of Hapi in the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, dating to the early 13th century BC (fig. 2), in which the god similarly extends his long, flattened hand beneath an offering table, providing a compelling parallel for the distinctive gesture preserved on the present fragment. Although the head, headdress, and any identifying inscription of the present relief are lost, its attribution to Hapi accords closely with the established iconography of the Nile god and related fecundity figures.
Egypt, c. 1450-1189 BC. Carved in shallow relief and retaining extensive original polychromy, the fragment preserves the upper body and arms of Hapi, the personification of the Nile inundation, shown holding a rectangular offering table before him. The god's fleshy torso and long, delicately articulated hand are painted in red ochre, with the characteristic pendulous breast emphasizing his fecund, androgynous nature, while the offering table and surrounding elements retain a warm cream tone. Portions of vessels are preserved above the table, the composition outlined with finely incised details and retaining remarkably vivid red, cream, and darker pigments.
Artloss Register: Certificate #S00121210 from 13 February 2017. A copy of this document accompanies this lot.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Obvious losses, expected old wear, small chips and nicks, natural fissures, and scattered minor encrustations. The original polychromy is remarkably well preserved, with only minor touchups.
Provenance:
- With Galerie Orient Occident, J.L. Despras, Paris, France.
- The private collection of Jean Deriat, Paris, France, acquired from the above in 1970.
- With Galerie Cybèle, Paris, France, acquired from the above in 2016.
- The private collection of Michel Goughassian (1943-2020), Paris, France, acquired from the above in 2021.
A copy of an old black-and-white photograph from Galerie Orient Occident, dating from before 1975, accompanies this lot. A copy of a handwritten invoice, written and signed by Jean Deriat, dated 3 May 2016, confirming the dating and provenance above, accompanies the lot. A copy of an invoice from Galerie Cybèle, addressed to Michel Ghougassian, dated 20 July 2021, confirming the dating above, accompanies this lot.
Jean-Loup Despras (1926-2001) was a noted Parisian dealer in ancient art and the proprietor of Galerie Orient-Occident. He studied Egyptology at the Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre, developing his interest in archaeology through the study of hieroglyphs, before establishing his gallery first on Boulevard Raspail and later in the rue des Beaux-Arts. In 2000, Le Journal des Arts described him as the doyen of the small circle of Parisian dealers specializing in archaeology. Despras supplied works to important private and institutional collections, including the Louvre, which acquired an Egyptian Middle Kingdom model from him in 1971.
Jean Deriat (1922-2016) was a French collector of ancient art who began collecting around 1960 and pursued his passion for more than fifty years, until shortly before his death. His collection concentrated particularly on Egyptian antiquities, and he maintained close relationships with Parisian dealers, experts, and scholars, regularly visiting galleries and researching the people and cultures behind the objects he acquired. His wide-ranging collection was formed through both the Paris art trade and public auctions over several decades.
Galerie Cybèle was founded in Paris in 1988 by French antiquities dealer Jean-Pierre Montesino. Specializing in Egyptian and Mediterranean antiquities, the gallery is a member of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA), while Montesino is a recognized expert of the European Chamber of Expert-Advisors in Fine Art. Through Galerie Cybèle, he has supplied works to major private collections and museums, including the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Michel Goughassian (1943-2020) was a prominent French art collector and member of the Société française d'Égyptologie (since 1999), known for building a significant private collection of ancient art and archaeology, with a particular focus on Egyptian antiquities.
Weight: 4.1 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 20 cm (excl. stand) 24.5 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted on an associated metal stand. (2)
Hapi was the personification of the annual inundation of the Nile, whose floodwaters renewed Egypt's fields and sustained the agricultural cycle upon which the country depended. His unusual androgynous form, combining a male identity with pendulous breasts and a full abdomen, expressed nourishment, fertility, and abundance. The god was consequently closely associated with the produce generated by the inundation and was frequently represented bearing the food and other provisions bestowed by the Nile.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related sandstone relief of the Nile god Hapi, dated to Dynasty 25, 747-656 BC, 85 x 39.5 x 6.5 cm, in the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, inventory number ÄM 24026.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 6 February 2026, lot 215
Price: USD 24,130 or approx. EUR 21,500 converted at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian polychrome limestone relief fragment, 18th-19th Dynasty, 1540-1190 BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related dating, polychrome limestone medium, shallow relief carving, and preservation of painted details. Note the smaller size (16.5 cm) and different subject.
A FINE POLYCHROME LIMESTONE RELIEF FRAGMENT WITH THE NILE GOD HAPI, NEW KINGDOM, DYNASTY XVIII-XIX
Expert's note
The surviving composition strongly suggests that this fragment once belonged to the lower register of a temple wall, where processions of fecundity figures carried the bounty of Egypt toward the gods. A closely related conception appears on the limestone relief from the Chapel of Ramesses I at the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, dated to circa 1299-1290 BC, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object number 11.155.3a (fig. 1). Its lower register incorporates Nile gods, two of whom bind the lotus and papyrus around the sema-tawy emblem, while others approach bearing vessels of fresh water symbolizing life, happiness, food, and provisions. Such figures formed an important component of temple decoration, embodying the fertility and abundance upon which Egypt and its cults depended.
The pendant breast, full torso, and offering table of the present figure are characteristic of this tradition. Particularly close is a relief of Hapi in the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, dating to the early 13th century BC (fig. 2), in which the god similarly extends his long, flattened hand beneath an offering table, providing a compelling parallel for the distinctive gesture preserved on the present fragment. Although the head, headdress, and any identifying inscription of the present relief are lost, its attribution to Hapi accords closely with the established iconography of the Nile god and related fecundity figures.
Egypt, c. 1450-1189 BC. Carved in shallow relief and retaining extensive original polychromy, the fragment preserves the upper body and arms of Hapi, the personification of the Nile inundation, shown holding a rectangular offering table before him. The god's fleshy torso and long, delicately articulated hand are painted in red ochre, with the characteristic pendulous breast emphasizing his fecund, androgynous nature, while the offering table and surrounding elements retain a warm cream tone. Portions of vessels are preserved above the table, the composition outlined with finely incised details and retaining remarkably vivid red, cream, and darker pigments.
Artloss Register: Certificate #S00121210 from 13 February 2017. A copy of this document accompanies this lot.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Obvious losses, expected old wear, small chips and nicks, natural fissures, and scattered minor encrustations. The original polychromy is remarkably well preserved, with only minor touchups.
Provenance:
- With Galerie Orient Occident, J.L. Despras, Paris, France.
- The private collection of Jean Deriat, Paris, France, acquired from the above in 1970.
- With Galerie Cybèle, Paris, France, acquired from the above in 2016.
- The private collection of Michel Goughassian (1943-2020), Paris, France, acquired from the above in 2021.
A copy of an old black-and-white photograph from Galerie Orient Occident, dating from before 1975, accompanies this lot. A copy of a handwritten invoice, written and signed by Jean Deriat, dated 3 May 2016, confirming the dating and provenance above, accompanies the lot. A copy of an invoice from Galerie Cybèle, addressed to Michel Ghougassian, dated 20 July 2021, confirming the dating above, accompanies this lot.
Jean-Loup Despras (1926-2001) was a noted Parisian dealer in ancient art and the proprietor of Galerie Orient-Occident. He studied Egyptology at the Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre, developing his interest in archaeology through the study of hieroglyphs, before establishing his gallery first on Boulevard Raspail and later in the rue des Beaux-Arts. In 2000, Le Journal des Arts described him as the doyen of the small circle of Parisian dealers specializing in archaeology. Despras supplied works to important private and institutional collections, including the Louvre, which acquired an Egyptian Middle Kingdom model from him in 1971.
Jean Deriat (1922-2016) was a French collector of ancient art who began collecting around 1960 and pursued his passion for more than fifty years, until shortly before his death. His collection concentrated particularly on Egyptian antiquities, and he maintained close relationships with Parisian dealers, experts, and scholars, regularly visiting galleries and researching the people and cultures behind the objects he acquired. His wide-ranging collection was formed through both the Paris art trade and public auctions over several decades.
Galerie Cybèle was founded in Paris in 1988 by French antiquities dealer Jean-Pierre Montesino. Specializing in Egyptian and Mediterranean antiquities, the gallery is a member of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA), while Montesino is a recognized expert of the European Chamber of Expert-Advisors in Fine Art. Through Galerie Cybèle, he has supplied works to major private collections and museums, including the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Michel Goughassian (1943-2020) was a prominent French art collector and member of the Société française d'Égyptologie (since 1999), known for building a significant private collection of ancient art and archaeology, with a particular focus on Egyptian antiquities.
Weight: 4.1 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 20 cm (excl. stand) 24.5 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted on an associated metal stand. (2)
Hapi was the personification of the annual inundation of the Nile, whose floodwaters renewed Egypt's fields and sustained the agricultural cycle upon which the country depended. His unusual androgynous form, combining a male identity with pendulous breasts and a full abdomen, expressed nourishment, fertility, and abundance. The god was consequently closely associated with the produce generated by the inundation and was frequently represented bearing the food and other provisions bestowed by the Nile.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related sandstone relief of the Nile god Hapi, dated to Dynasty 25, 747-656 BC, 85 x 39.5 x 6.5 cm, in the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, inventory number ÄM 24026.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 6 February 2026, lot 215
Price: USD 24,130 or approx. EUR 21,500 converted at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian polychrome limestone relief fragment, 18th-19th Dynasty, 1540-1190 BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related dating, polychrome limestone medium, shallow relief carving, and preservation of painted details. Note the smaller size (16.5 cm) and different subject.
