Egyptian Glazed Faience Amulet of Shu

Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A finely detailed, mold-formed faience amulet of Shu covered in pale green glaze. Shu's standardized pose is defined by kneeling atop an integral rectangular plinth with his right knee down and left knee raised, wearing a pleated shendyt skirt, and an upright posture leaned against an integral dorsal pillar. His head bears almond-shaped eyes, cupped ears, a plaited false beard, and a broad nose, all beneath a pleated tripartite wig. Shu - the primordial deity personifying the air - holds his arms in a raised position that flank a sun disc, and this pose is highly symbolic of Shu lifting the skies and the heavens themselves. Shu is known as the father of Nut (goddess of the sky) and Geb (god of the earth) with his sister and wife Tefnut (goddess of moisture) and is associated with calmness, peace, and order. Size: 1.25" W x 2.6" H (3.2 cm x 6.6 cm)

For a stylistically similar example, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 04.2.372.

Another stylistically similar example, of a slightly taller size and with incredible detailing, hammered for GBP 56,250 ($73,351.69) at Christie's, London "Antiquities" auction (sale 17198, July 3, 2019, lot 21).

Provenance: private Chicago, Illinois, USA collection, acquired in 2019; ex-private London, UK collection, acquired in 2019; ex-private Canadian collection, acquired in 2011; ex-private American collection, formed between 1920 and 1932

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#151925
Condition Report: Repair to left arm, with small chips and very light adhesive residue along break line. Minor abrasions and nicks to plinth, legs, body, arms, head, and sun disc, with fading and chipping to original glazing, minor softening to some finer details, and light encrustations and pitting. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Drilled hole beneath plinth likely for previous display stand.