An Egyptian Limestone Head of a Noblewoman

An Egyptian Limestone Head of a Noblewoman

Late Period, Dynasty 26, 664-525 B.C.

Height 4 inches. Continental Decorative Arts
Intact as preserved; a minor crack in one side of her face near the ear; other minor chips, gashes and rough areas / encrustation as is typical, but no readily visible restoration. Originally sold to Joan Conway Crancer as stucco, but now thought to be carved from soft limestone, not molded from stucco or gesso, after review by an independent Egyptologist (plaster or gesso or stucco heads not known to exist before Romano-Egyptian period). Possibly hollow on the back for fitting onto something else, perhaps a statue whose head had been lost.

Note:
A silver statuette of a royal woman with very similar facial features, inscribed with the cartouches of the Pharaoh Necho II (who reigned from 610-595 B.C.) on her upper arms, is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 30.8.93. It is likely that the present example represents the same royal woman.

Provenance:
Private Collection, Switzerland.
L'Ibis Gallery Ltd., New York, 1 September 1989 (with invoice).