35 - A FINELY INLAID ANTHROPOID COFFIN SECTION FOR A ‘LADY OF THE HOUSE’, DAUGHTER OF KAR-EF, WITH HIEROGLYPHS INVOKING OSIRIS AND KHONSU-HORUS, DYNASTY XXVI

A FINELY INLAID ANTHROPOID COFFIN SECTION FOR A ‘LADY OF THE HOUSE’, DAUGHTER OF KAR-EF, WITH HIEROGLYPHS INVOKING OSIRIS AND KHONSU-HORUS, DYNASTY XXVI Published and exhibited: Galerie Ägyptischer Kunst, (Alexander Sandmeier), Göttingen, October 1975, no. 36. Egypt, circa 664-525 BC. Gessoed and finely painted, the face is framed by a tripartite wig beneath outstretched vulture wings. The eyelines and brows are inlaid in bronze, while the eyes are inlaid with alabaster and glass, and the fleshy lips are drawn into an enigmatic smile. She wears a broad floral diadem and an elaborate wesekh-collar with falcon-headed terminals. Below, the sky goddess Nut is depicted with outstretched, winged arms, her name inscribed in hieroglyphs within the sun disk of her headdress. Wearing a tight-fitting red tunic, she crouches upon a temple façade decorated with a chequerboard pattern and flanked on either side by a ram with undulating horns, each wearing a double-plumed headdress surmounted by a sun disk. The composition is framed along the edges of the coffin by bands of red, black, and yellow. Inscriptions: Thirteen columns of hieroglyphic text and a horizontal band below, comprising funerary offering formulas invoking Osiris and Khonsu-Horus on behalf of the deceased. The inscription reads in translation: “A royal offering to Osiris, Foremost of the West, Great God, Lord of Abydos, that he might give all offerings, every type of provisions, wine [uncertain], to the Mistress [uncertain], for the ka of the Osiris, Lady of the House [uncertain]; he might give an offering to the Lady of the House [uncertain], True of Voice, daughter of Kar-ef, Hail Amun; a royal offering to Khonsu-Horus for the ka of the Lady of the House Ir-Djehouty [uncertain], wine, milk, everything good and pure for the kas of [uncertain].” Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. As commonly found with Egyptian wood coffin covers of this considerable age, the piece has undergone restoration and stabilization over time, including reassembly, consolidation, fills, and associated retouching. Expected wear, age cracks, and scattered minor losses. The polychrome decoration is remarkably well preserved, retaining strong and vivid colors. The reverse is fitted with a rectangular wooden support board. Provenance: - A private collection in Germany, acquired in the late 1960s-early 1970s. - With Galerie Ägyptischer Kunst, Göttingen, 1975. - A private collection, Germany, acquired from the above in 1975. - With Roswitha Eberwein, Göttingen, Germany. - The collection of Renate Wald, Germany, acquired from the above in 1988, and thence by descent. - Christie’s London, 26 April 2012, lot 213, sold for GBP 73,250 or approx. EUR 127,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing, as property from the estate of Renate Wald - The private collection of Erika Krautkrämer, Germany, acquired from the above, and thence by descent within the family. Weight: 14 kg (incl. mounting) Dimensions: Height 74.3 cm (excl. mounting), 75.5 cm (incl. mounting) Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 11 June 2003, lot 358 Price: USD 171,000 or approx. EUR 270,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An Egyptian gessoed and painted wood anthropoid sarcophagus, Late Period, Dynasty XXV-XXVI, 712-525 BC, 180 cm high. Expert remark: Compare the closely related dating, painted wood medium, broad collar, and extensive funerary decoration incorporating a winged sky goddess and numerous divine figures. Note the larger size (180 cm), and that the comparison is a complete sarcophagus. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 15 December 2016, lot 15 Price: USD 348,500 or approx. EUR 422,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An Egyptian polychrome wood sarcophagus lid of the Lady Tjenety, 25th Dynasty, 750-656 BC, 181 cm high. Expert remark: Compare the closely related female subject, dating, polychrome wood medium, broad collar, anthropoid form, and richly painted funerary decoration. Note the larger size (181 cm) and that the comparison preserves the complete sarcophagus lid. Due to length restriction on Drouot this entry is shortened. For full description please visit www.zacke.at.