Ancient Egyptian Bronze Solid. Late Period, 626 - 323 BC. Sculpture of goddess Neith. 18,5 cm H.

Goddess Neith CULTURE: Ancient Egypt PERIOD: Late Period 664 - 323 BC MATERIAL: Bronze SIZE: Height 18,5 cm with stand. Height 16 cm without stand. PROVENANCE: Private collection Ray Brachfeld, Connecticut (USA) acutioneer and art dealer, since 1970s. Thence by descendent, 2021, Pine Bush, New York. CONDITION: Intact. DESCRIPTION: A statuette in solid bronze representing the goddess Neith. She is modeled standing with a gown so close-fitting that the navel can be discerned beneath. She is wearing two armbands on each arm. The right hand is clenched in a fist near the hips. This most certainly was holding a sceptre as there is a perforation through the hand. The left arm is extended forward as if to hold the “was” staff (a wide staff ending in the form of a fantastic animal, characteristic of all the gods) . On her head she is wearing the typical headdress characteristic of this goddess, the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. The goddess Neith is represented with the head and body of a woman, not of an animal as in the majority of cases. Early on she was thought to be the goddess of war and hunting, and later creator of gods and men. She was a funerary divinity, goddess of knowledge and an inventor. The Greeks associated her with Athena. She is represented with the above mentioned Red Crown, with a bow and two arrows or an owl and spear or a weaving bobbin. She was also represented as a beetle, bee, cow, fish, with a lion head and sometimes suckling a crocodile. She was worshipped in Sais, where the priests of this goddess were obstetricians, and also in Esna, Tanis, Memphis, Prosopolis and El Fayum. The technique of lost wax casting is a sculptural procedure using a mould made from a prototype of the piece to be worked, and this prototype is usually made from beeswax. This is covered with a thick layer of soft material, usually clay, which then solidifies. Once this has hardened it is put in a kiln where the wax inside melts and leaks out through expressly made holes in the clay. In its place molten metal is injected and this takes on the exact form of the mould. To release the final piece the mould must be removed. BIBLIOGRAPHY: -\t. BIANCHI R. S. , ZIEGLER Ch. Les Bronzes égyptiens - Fondation Gandur pour l’Art. Berne. 2014. -\t. CAUVILLE , S. Offerings to the Gods in Egyptian Temples. Louvain. 2012. -\t. WILKINSON, R. H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. London. 2003. Notes: The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki. The seller will take care that any necessary permits, like an export license will be arranged, he will inform the buyer about the status of it if this takes more than a few days. The piece includes authenticity certificate. The piece includes Spanish Export License.