Egyptian Painted Gesso / Wood Striding Servant Figure
Ancient Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 11th to 13th Dynasty, ca. 2130 to 1649 BCE. A wonderful example of a hand-carved wooden male figure, perhaps a servant in a tomb scene depicting events from everyday life in ancient Egypt. The man stands in a striding pose with delineated legs and plug-shaped feet meant to fit within drilled mortises, wears a short skirt indicated by the solid, smooth lower abdomen, has bulging pectoral muscles beneath sloped shoulders, and slender arms draped to his sides. His head stares forward with incised, almond-shaped eyes and has a drop-form nose, thin lips, a tapered mandible, and perky ears beneath a black coiffure. Traces of white gesso visible across the upper body and head are painted with tan-hued pigment indicative of flesh and black to color the hair. Wooden sculptures like this are incredibly rare in this state of preservation and are incredible examples illustrating everyday life in ancient Egypt. Size: 2.5" W x 9.75" H (6.4 cm x 24.8 cm); 10.4" H (26.4 cm) on included custom stand.
A stylistically similar example, of a larger size and standing atop a wooden plinth, hammered for GBP 18,750 ($24,711) at Christie's, London, South Kensington "Antiquities" auction (sale 6060, April 14, 2011, lot 23).
Provenance: private Chicago, Illinois, USA collection; ex-Helios Gallery, Wiltshire, U.K.; ex-private Dorset, U.K. collection, acquired in the late 19th or early 20th century CE
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#151927 Dimensions: Condition Report: Arms and shoulder pins added in modern times and are possibly modern. Nicks and abrasions to feet, legs, body, and head, with softening to some finer details, chipping and fading to original pigmentation of painted gesso, and light encrustations. Nice remaining details and traces of original pigment throughout. Great patina.
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Ancient Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 11th to 13th Dynasty, ca. 2130 to 1649 BCE. A wonderful example of a hand-carved wooden male figure, perhaps a servant in a tomb scene depicting events from everyday life in ancient Egypt. The man stands in a striding pose with delineated legs and plug-shaped feet meant to fit within drilled mortises, wears a short skirt indicated by the solid, smooth lower abdomen, has bulging pectoral muscles beneath sloped shoulders, and slender arms draped to his sides. His head stares forward with incised, almond-shaped eyes and has a drop-form nose, thin lips, a tapered mandible, and perky ears beneath a black coiffure. Traces of white gesso visible across the upper body and head are painted with tan-hued pigment indicative of flesh and black to color the hair. Wooden sculptures like this are incredibly rare in this state of preservation and are incredible examples illustrating everyday life in ancient Egypt. Size: 2.5" W x 9.75" H (6.4 cm x 24.8 cm); 10.4" H (26.4 cm) on included custom stand.
A stylistically similar example, of a larger size and standing atop a wooden plinth, hammered for GBP 18,750 ($24,711) at Christie's, London, South Kensington "Antiquities" auction (sale 6060, April 14, 2011, lot 23).
Provenance: private Chicago, Illinois, USA collection; ex-Helios Gallery, Wiltshire, U.K.; ex-private Dorset, U.K. collection, acquired in the late 19th or early 20th century CE
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#151927 Dimensions: Condition Report: Arms and shoulder pins added in modern times and are possibly modern. Nicks and abrasions to feet, legs, body, and head, with softening to some finer details, chipping and fading to original pigmentation of painted gesso, and light encrustations. Nice remaining details and traces of original pigment throughout. Great patina.
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Time, Location
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