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Egyptian statuette of Harpocrates

€1,820
available
Object number
AR3112
Object: Egyptian statuette of Harpocrates

Material: Bronze.

Period: Ptolemaic Period of ancient Egypt,
332 BC to 30 BC.

Description:    Egyptian statuette of a child god. The boy is shown in a dynamic stance, left leg forward, body slightly twisted and S-shaped as seen from the rear. The right finger is raised to the mouth. The left arm holds a cornucopia. The double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt sits on the boy's head with curly hair.
The Harpocrates figurine is of excellent quality and impresses with its relatively large size for an Egyptian bronze statuette.

Background: The depiction with the finger to the mouth is typical for the Egyptian child gods. The term Harpocrates is often used summarily for such gods. In the Ptolemaic period, the originally Egyptian deity changed and merged with Greek customs. The cornucopia is such an addition from the Hellenistic period, when the Ptolemies ruled over Egypt.

Dimensions: 10.3 cm high without base, 4.5 cm wide. 12.2 cm high with base.

Condition: Excellent condition. The statuette is completely preserved and details are clearly visible. The surface has a noble dark patina with green accents, on the back a spot that was probably cleaned a long time ago. Glued to a varnished wooden base, number "9" branded under the base, presumably the collection number of a previous owner.

Provenance: Acquired by us on the US art market in 2020. Before in the US collection of Mariann Hansen and before that in the US collection of A. G. Duerr. Acquired by Mr. Duerr in 1959 or 1960 from Susette Khayat, Ancient Art Gallery, New York, USA. The piece is mentioned in a letter from Susette Khayat dated December 15, 1959, a copy of which is available to us.

References: Cf. Archaeological Museum Bologna, Acc.no. Rom 1031.
Cf. Brooklyn Museum, Acc.no. 47.87.
Cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Acc.no. 43.2.6.

Authenticity: We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.