21 - AN IMPORTANT PUBLISHED LIMESTONE RELIEF OF HATHOR AS A COW, WITH ROYAL CARTOUCHE OF RAMESSES II, DYNASTY XIX, 1279–1213 BC, POSSIBLY FROM DEIR EL-BAHARI

AN IMPORTANT PUBLISHED LIMESTONE RELIEF OF HATHOR AS A COW, WITH ROYAL CARTOUCHE OF RAMESSES II, DYNASTY XIX, 1279–1213 BC, POSSIBLY FROM DEIR EL-BAHARI Published & Exhibited: 1. Eugène Warmenbol (ed.), Ombres d'Égypte: Le peuple de Pharaon, Musée du Malgré-Tout, Treignes, 20 June-12 December 1999, p. 105, catalog number 107. 2. Arnaud Quertinmont (ed.), Dieux, génies et démons en Égypte ancienne: à la rencontre d'Osiris, Anubis, Isis, Hathor, Rê et les autres, Musée royal de Mariemont, Morlanwelz, 21 May-20 November 2016, p. 178, catalog number 49. Expert’s note: The present fragment is particularly notable for combining Hathor’s bovine form with the royal cartouche of Ramesses II and the menat collar. The 1999 publication observes that Hathor appears in fully animal form especially often in votive works, whereas her human or semi-human manifestations dominate temple imagery, supporting the interpretation of the relief as part of a votive stele. The later 2016 catalogue reconstructs the original scene with a blue lotus rising before the goddess’s nostrils above a table of offerings, with a dedicator once standing before it. The menat was both an emblem of fertility and a ritual musical instrument closely associated with Hathor, goddess of love, joy, dance, music, and motherhood. The possible provenance from Deir el-Bahari is especially significant, since numerous votive offerings to Hathor from the sanctuary have been connected with the Beautiful Festival of the Valley. Egypt, according to the two publications cited above, quite possibly from Deir el-Bahari. Finely carved in sunken relief with the forepart of the goddess Hathor in bovine form facing right, crowned by the solar disk cradled between long curving horns. Her large almond-shaped eye is extended by a cosmetic line, while a broad menat collar composed of multiple beaded strands encircles the neck, its long counterpoise extending across the back. Before her muzzle rises a lotus flower, probably once placed above a table laden with offerings. The field is inscribed with the name of Hathor before the horns. Above the counterweight at the back are preserved the remains of a royal cartouche bearing the name of Ramesses II. Provenance: The private collection of Jean-Jacques Rotthier, Belgium, by 1999, and thence by descent. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Fragmentary as preserved, old repairs to one edge, natural cracks and fissures, with expected wear and erosion, scattered chips, nicks, and minor encrustations Weight: 1,582 g (incl. stand) Dimensions: Length 19.2 cm, Height 11 cm (excl. stand), 12.5 cm (incl. stand) Mounted on an associated metal stand. (2) Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s London, 3 December 2025, lot 62 Price: GBP 66,040 or approx. EUR 81,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An Egyptian limestone talatat relief with a bull, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Akhenaten, circa 1351-1334 BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related style, bovine subject, limestone medium, sunk-relief technique, similarly fine quality of carving, and closely comparable New Kingdom dating, the comparison preceding the present relief by only around a century. Note the somewhat larger size (35.5 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 12 December 2013, lot 6 Estimate: USD 27,500 or approx. EUR 34,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An Egyptian limestone relief fragment, Dynasty 19, reign of Ramesses II, 1279-1213 BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related Ramesside dating, limestone medium, sunk-relief technique, and fragmentary preservation, as well as the inclusion of the prenomen of Ramesses II within a cartouche. Note the larger size (21.9 x 26.4 cm), different subject, and surviving traces of yellow pigment on the comparison. Due to length restriction on Drouot this entry is shortened. For full description please visit www.zacke.at.