Near Eastern Anthropoid Pottery Coffin Lid w/ TL

**Originally Listed At $1500**

Ancient Near East, The Levant with Egyptian influence, early Iron Age, ca. 1500 to 1200 BCE. A rare example of a hand-modeled earthenware coffin lid bearing the stylized face of a man with pronounced almond-shaped eyes, thin eyebrows that meet just above the prominent nose, smooth cheeks that taper to a rounded chin, and spiraling ears that flank the broad forehead. The tall body is slightly convex - meant to fit atop the head and upper body of a deceased individual - with smooth peripheries, and the face is embellished with deep russet-hued pigment. Size: 14" W x 15.25" H (35.6 cm x 38.7 cm); 18.5" H (47 cm) on included custom stand.

Anthropoid coffins came from the Egyptian presence in the Levant during the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age and are a unique synthesis of ideologies from the two locations. Coffin lids like this example have been found at cemetery sites like Beth Shean, Lachish, and Tell el-Far'ah, part of graves containing funerary offerings of ceramic, jewelry, and bronze that can be sourced to Cyprus, Mycenae, Egypt, Phoenicia, and Canaan, stressing the international nature of life in this area even during the ancient period. The Egyptian influence may be seen in the shape of the man's face, but it is still unclear if these coffins were meant for people of Egyptian descent.

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: private J.H. collection, Beaverton, Oregon, USA, acquired around 2014 to 2015; ex-Relics of the Nile, Lexington, Kentucky, USA; ex-private Annapolis, Maryland, USA collection, purchased around 2008 from the Simonian collection, California, USA

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.

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#151124
Condition Report: This is a fragment of a larger coffin lid. Repaired from multiple large pieces, with small losses in some areas, and resurfacing along break lines. Abrasions and encrustations on front of body, face, peripheries, and verso, with softening to some facial details, and fading to areas of original pigment. Nice earthen deposits and traces of original pigment throughout. Two TL drill holes: one on interior of topmost fragment, and one beneath bottom periphery.