37 - An Egyptian Limestone Relief of Khonsu

An Egyptian Limestone Relief of Khonsu Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C. Height 47 cm (18 1/2 inches). Property from the Estate of Ray Retzlaff, sold to Benefit Charitable Organizations Provenance: Private Collection, North America. Sotheby's, New York, Antiquities and Islamic Art, 12 June 1993, Lot 45. Nye & Company, Bloomfield, New Jersey, 8 September 2022, Lot 638. Private Collection, West Coast, United States. Hindman Auctions, Chicago, Antiquities & Ancient Art, 25 May 2023, Lot 93. The bark carrying the shrine on this relief is not a solar boat, but a "lunar boat," because the falcon-headed deity crowned with a disk and crescent is Khonsu, whose name is written in the hieroglyphic caption. Khonsu is a moon-god whose name is understood as the "traveler" or "wanderer."He is the son of Amun and Mut, and together they form the "Theban triad."The disk is a lunar disk, which is typical when it appears along with the crescent.Together, the different phases of the moon are represented.He is represented either as a child or youth with a sidelock, or as a falcon-headed man crowned with the disk and crescent.Khonsu is also known as a potent exorcist or driver-out and vanquisher of demons, as described in the story inscribed on the "Bentresh Stela." In the present relief, the boat bears the shrine containing the image of the deity.It has carrying poles and is carried by priests in religious processions. Here it is set down on a pedestal or plinth which is a way-station on the route of the procession. For references on Khonsu, see R. H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt; G. Hart, A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses; and J. Houser-Wegner, "Khonsu," in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, vol. 2.