Torso of an Egyptian striding figure
€8,800
available
Object number
AR3494
| Object: |
Torso of an Egyptian striding figure
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| Material: |
Rock with coarse-grained texture of dark brown, light brown and green hues. Granodiorite.
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| Period: |
12th Dynasty, 1994 BC to 1781 BC Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. |
| Description: |
Fragment of a male striding figure from ancient Egypt. The figure is modelled in full plastic and stands upright on a back pillar. The left leg is placed forward so that the figure appears to be in a dynamic position between standing and striding. The arms hang down at the sides. At the height of the middle of the stomach, a long dress begins with a knot in the middle of the upper waistband. The preserved part of the figure includes the torso, the upper part of the arms and the legs down to about knee height.
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| Background: |
During the later Middle Kingdom and into the Second Intermediate Period, numerous private portraits were made in Egypt. They were made as small figures from dark stones. Diorite, gabbro, basalt, serpentinite and greywacke were popular. One of the statuettes' functions was to be placed at a memorial site where it received offerings for the person depicted. It cannot be ruled out that the torso offered here is a depiction of a god, but it is most likely that the figure is a typical private portrait of the Middle Kingdom. |
| Dimensions: |
14.5cm high, 6.6cm wide, 6.4cm deep. 18.6cm high including the modern acrylic glass stand.
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| Condition: |
Fragment of a larger figure, only the torso remains, as well as most of the legs and upper arms. Below a break at knee height, the lower legs and feet are missing. The head is missing from the break at shoulder height. Both forearms and one hand are missing. A glued, stabilized crack runs across the thighs on the front. There are larger damages to the stomach, on the upper arms, where the left hand once sat, and on the back pillar. Despite the fragmentary state of preservation, the figure still exudes the aura of a work of art due to its strict form. It is glued to a modern acrylic stand. Below it are two old stickers with inscriptions.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2023 from A. Bade, Germany. Purchased by him at the Parisian art dealer Ader. Previously in a French private collection. Described and appraised in 1975 by the Parisian gallery Mythologies and probably also purchased that year. We have a copy of the gallery's insurance value certificate and a photo from 1975. Before that, the torso was owned by Audano Vico.
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| References: |
Cf. Wildung, L'Age d'or de l'Egypte, p. 100, no. 90. For a fragmentary Egyptian private portrait from the Middle Kingdom on the art market, see Christie's London auction of 5 July 2023, lot 79, estimated at 8,000 to 12,000 GPB (equivalent to approximately 9,700 to 14,500 EUR at the time). |
| Literature: |
For private portraits during the Middle Kingdom, see A. Oppenheim, Ancient Egypt Transformed (2015), nos. 89 and 126.
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| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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