Egyptian Middle Kingdom Granite Fertility Idol Fragment

Ancient Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 12th to 13th Dynasty, ca. 1991 to 1649 BCE. A beautiful fragment of a fertility figure showing the upper half of a dignified woman, hand-carved from mottled black granite with caramel and cream inclusions. The female presents with an hourglass waistline accented with a sheath dress, incised striations between and underneath her breasts indicative of finery, and shoulders held back confidently as if standing amongst a group of other deities. Her heart-shaped face exhibits almond-shaped eyes with elongated exterior canthi, a slender nose above full lips, tapered cheeks, and cupped ears, all framed within the bulbous, volute-tipped lappets of her Hathoric wig; her coiffure is vertically incised and drapes to the nape of her neck. With fine form and pleasantly smooth surfaces, this is a fine fragment from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom! Size: 1.4" W x 2.5" H (3.6 cm x 6.4 cm)

According to the Brooklyn Museum, "Recent studies show that both men and women used these figures to ensure fertility. In the home, they were believed to enhance a wife's fruitfulness and a husband's potency by invoking Hathor, the goddess of sexual love. As tomb offerings, they guaranteed the deceased's sexual power in the afterlife."

Cf. The Brooklyn Museum, accession number 44.226

Provenance: private Toronto, Ontario, Canada collection, by descent, acquired in Egypt in 1894 to 1896

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#167181
Condition Report: This is a fragment of a larger figure as shown, with loss to lower half. Abrasions and softening to finer details commensurate with age, with light encrustations within some recessed areas, and small nicks to face and wig lappets. Great preservation to figural form and nice surface smoothness.