Egyptian Armarna Limestone Relief of Ox ex-Royal Athena

Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, Amarna Period, late 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten, ca. 1361 to 1336 BCE. A gorgeous fragment of a hand-carved limestone relief panel of a rectangular form with traces of the original chiseling striations across the front. Depicted is the top portion of a muscular bull with a gently sloping back, a broad shoulder, and a slender head that is bowed slightly forward. The single almond-shaped eye, tapered snout, and narrow mouth give a sense of scale for this beast of burden. The gap between each curved horn is bridged by a thick rectangular binding strap that is intended to grow the horns upwards rather than outwards. The shoulder and forearm of the ox's handler are visible along the righthand side of the panel, and pale orange-red pigment within the relief details further accentuates the expert detailing. Size: 20.75" L x 8.75" W (52.7 cm x 22.2 cm)

Oxen were some of the most important animals in ancient Egypt and were used for a variety of tasks including cargo transportation, butchering for meat, and back-breaking agricultural work. They were hearty creatures who were domesticated long before even the Pre-Dynastic periods roughly 6,000 years ago and enabled the cultivation of vast swaths of land for Egypt to live and thrive upon; thus, owning oxen was seen as a great symbol of status and wealth accumulated via their labor. According to scholar Dorothea Arnold, "To own cattle was a sign of high standing for a peasant in ancient Egypt; plow oxen usually had to be rented from a large state or temple institution. Even if the oxen were not actually owned by the plowman, however, an exceptionally strong bond could exist between man and animals. A tale of the New Kingdom tells of a young man who worked on his older brother's farm and lived so closely with the cattle that he could understand their language. When the older brother set out to kill the younger, because the elder's wife - as the wife of Potiphar - had accused the younger brother of trying to seduce her, the cattle warned him in time for him to escape." (Arnold, Dorothea. "An Egyptian Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1995, Vol. LII, no. 4, p. 51)

For a wonderful example of oxen horn bindings from a painted wall within the tomb of Nakht from the 18th Dynasty, please see: Arnold, Dorothea. "An Egyptian Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1995, Vol. LII, no. 4. p. 38.

Provenance: private New York, USA collection, acquired in 2013; ex-private Swiss-American estate collection, New York, New York, USA, acquired in 1990; ex-Royal-Athena Gallery, New York, New York, USA, #1990.BL8701c, BL8702c; ex-private B.L. collection, taken on consignment on owner's behalf in 1987

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#152810
Condition Report: This is a fragment of a larger limestone relief panel. Nicks and abrasions to ox, handler, front, peripheries, and verso, with light fading to orange-red pigmentation, minor softening to some finer details, and light encrustations. Light earthen deposits throughout, and nice traces of original pigment within carved details.