13 works, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, The Story of Tamar, Daughter in Law of Judah, with Footnotes. #186

Doctor Lidia Kozenitzky

Tammar

Oil on canvas

64 × 88 cm

Private collection

I have no information about this artist!

In the Book of Genesis, Tamar was the daughter-in-law of Judah. She is first described as marrying Judah's eldest son, Er. Because of his wickedness, Er was killed by God. By way of a levirate union, Judah asked his second son, Onan, to provide offspring for Tamar so that the family line might continue. This could have substantial economic repercussions, with any son born deemed the heir of the deceased Er, and able to claim the firstborn's double share of inheritance. However, if Er was childless, Onan would inherit as the oldest surviving son.

I have no further description, at this time

Onan performed coitus interruptus, or the pull-out method. His action was deemed wicked by God and so, like his older brother, God killed him. At this point, Judah is portrayed as viewing Tamar to be cursed and therefore as being reluctant to give her his remaining and youngest son Shelah. Rather, he tells Tamar to wait for Shelah. However, even after Shelah has grown up, Judah still does not give Tamar to him in marriage.

James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902)

Desolation of Tamar, c. 1896-1902

Gouache on board

3357 x 5038

Jewish Museum

An isha katlanit or qatlanit ( "woman fatal", lit. murderer) is a woman who has been widowed twice. According to Jewish law , she is, in principle, forbidden to remarry a third time because she is presumed responsible for the death of her previous spouses and could cause that of the next. Contemporary authorities, however, tend to rule in favor of remarriage in many cases.

After Shelah had grown up, Judah became a widower. After Judah mourned the death of his wife, he planned on going to Timnath to shear his sheep. Upon hearing this news, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and immediately went to Timnath which was en route to Judah's destination. 

Francesco Hayez

Tamar of Judah, c. 1847

Oil on canvas

De Agostini Picture Library

Francesco Hayez (10 February 1791 – 21 December 1882) was an Italian painter, the leading artist of Romanticism in mid-19th-century Milan, renowned for his grand historical paintings, political allegories and exceptionally fine portraits.

Hayez came from a relatively poor family from Venice. He was brought up by his mother's sister, who had married a well-off shipowner and collector of art. From childhood he showed a predisposition for drawing, so his uncle apprenticed him to an art restorer. Later he became a student of the painter Francesco Maggiotto with whom he continued his studies for three years. He was admitted to the painting course of the New Academy of Fine Arts in 1806. In 1809 he won a competition from the Academy of Venice for one year of study at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. He remained in Rome until 1814, then moved to Naples where he was commissioned by Joachim Murat to paint a major work depicting Ulysses at the court of Alcinous. In the mid-1830s he attended the "Salotto Maffei" salon in Milan.

Francesco Hayez lived long and was prolific. His output spanned both historic paintings, and Neoclassic style grand themes, either from biblical or classical literature. He also painted scenes from theatrical presentations of his day.  More Francesco Hayez

Horace Vernet (1789 - 1863)

Judah and Tamar, c. 1840

Oil on canvas

129 x 97.5 cm

The Wallace Collection

Émile Jean-Horace Vernet (30 June 1789 – 17 January 1863), more commonly known as simply Horace Vernet, was a French painter of battles, portraits, and Orientalist subjects.

Grandson of Claude-Joseph Vernet and son of another eminent artist, Carle Vernet (1758-1836), he soon developed an extraordinary facility as a painter which he used to depict a wide range of subjects including scenes taken from literature, the Bible, contemporary Italy, North Africa and the Middle East.

He is best known, however, for his many paintings celebrating French military prowess, including a series of large battle pieces for Versailles. Louis-Philippe, who had first bought his work in 1817, favoured him with many commissions. Although he achieved notoriety when some of his paintings were rejected by the Paris Salon jury of 1822, allegedly because of their anti-Bourbon character, he received a number of honours from the restored Bourbon monarchy, including in 1828 the Directorship of the French Academy in Rome (which he retained until 1834).

His many foreign journeys included visits to Algeria (1833, 1837, 1839, 1845 and 1853), the Middle East (1839-40), Russia (1836 and 1842-3) and the Crimea (1854-5). More on Émile Jean-Horace Vernet

James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902)

The Meeting of Tamar and Judah, c. between 1896 and 1902

Gouache on board

Jewish Museum

Jacques Joseph Tissot (15 October 1836 – 8 August 1902), Anglicized as James Tissot, was a French painter and illustrator. He was a successful painter of Paris society before moving to London in 1871. He became famous as a genre painter of fashionably dressed women shown in various scenes of everyday life. He also painted scenes and characters from the Bible. More on James Tissot

Tintoretto (Jacopo Comin)

The Meeting of Tamar and Judah

ca. 1555 - 1559

Oil on canvas. 150 x 155 cm

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Tintoretto; born Jacopo Comin, (October, 1518 – May 31, 1594) was an Italian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso. His work is characterized by its muscular figures, dramatic gestures, and bold use of perspective in the Mannerist style, while maintaining color and light typical of the Venetian School.

 

In his youth, Tintoretto was also known as Jacopo Robusti as his father had defended the gates of Padua in a way that others called robust, against the imperial troops during the War of the League of Cambrai (1509–1516). His real name "Comin" has only recently been discovered by Miguel Falomir, the curator of the Museo del Prado, Madrid, and was made public on the occasion of the retrospective of Tintoretto at the Prado in 2007. More on Tintoretto

Giuseppe Nuvolone, (Milan 1619–1703)

The Story of Tamar and Judah

Oil on canvas

149 x 179 cm

Private collection

This complex story, which is dominated by the fact that the Canaanite Tamar finds herself obliged to seduce her father-in-law and risk everything for reasons of genealogy, has parallels to other unconventional relationships in the Bible: the incest between Lot and his daughters after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra, or the equally fateful passions of David and Bathsheba, or the singular union between Ruth the Moabite and Boaz. All these somehow problematic encounters ostensibly ensured the continuity of lineage across generations according to divine will. Such subjects were especially popular with a social class that faced dynastic worries. More on this painting

Giuseppe Nuvolone (1619–1703) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Milan, Brescia, and Cremona. Born in San Gimignano. He was the brother of the painter Carlo Francesco Nuvolone and son and pupil of Panfilo. He painted St Dominic resurrecting the dead for the church of San Domenico in Cremona. More on Giuseppe Nuvolone

Niccolò Bambini  (1651–1736)

Judah and Tamara on their way to Timno, c. 1700s

Oil on canvas

Pomurje Museum Murska Sobota

Niccolò Bambini (1651–1736) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance and early-Baroque periods. He was born in Venice, and first studied under Giulio Mazzoni. He later moved to Rome, where he became a pupil of Carlo Maratti. He painted for the church of San Stefano soon after his return from Rome. More on Niccolò Bambini

Cornelis van Poelenburgh

Judah and Tamar in an italianate landscape

Oil on panel

30.5 by 28 cm.; 12 by 11 in.

Private collection

Cornelis van Poelenburgh or Cornelis van Poelenburch (1594 – 12 August 1667), was a Dutch landscape painter and draughtsman. He was the leading representative of the first generation of Dutch landscape painters who were active in Rome in the early 17th century. He was known for small-scale paintings depicting Italianate landscapes with small figures enacting biblical or mythological scenes or in contemporary attire.

He initially trained with Abraham Bloemaert, and his earliest signed paintings are from 1620. He traveled to Rome where he became a founding member of the Bentvueghels, the society of mainly Flemish and Dutch artists working in Rome. More on Cornelis van Poelenburgh

Upon arriving at a place near Timnath, where two roads met, Judah saw the woman but did not recognize her as Tamar because of the veil she wore over her face. Thinking she was a prostitute, he requested her services. Tamar's plan was to become pregnant by this ruse so that she might bear a child in Judah's line, since Judah had not given her to his son Shelah. So she played the part of a prostitute and struck a bargain with Judah for a goat, secured by his staff, seal, and cord. When Judah was able to have a goat sent to Timnath, in order to collect his staff and seal, the woman was nowhere to be found and no one knew of any prostitute in Timnath. 

Jacob Willemsz. de Wet the Elder

Juda and Tamar

Tamar was accused of prostitution on account of her pregnancy

Oil on panel

58,5 x 82,2 cm

Private collection+

Jacob Willemszoon de Wet or Jacob Willemsz. de Wet the Elder (c. 1610 – between 1675 and 1691) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, whose works were largely influenced by Rembrandt. De Wet was born and died in Haarlem. Little is known of his early life. Houbraken mentions him in passing as an art dealer of Haarlem in his biographical sketch of Philips Wouwerman, referring to him as Jan de Wet. 

De Wet left a notebook that mentions a total of 34 pupils, most famously Paulus Potter. Other notable pupils were Job Adriaensz Berckheyde, Adriaen Jansz Kraen, Johann Philip Lemke, Jan Vermeer van Haarlem I (not to be confused with Vermeer of Delft), Jacob de Wet II, and Kort Withold. He became a member of the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke in 1632. Judging from the number of pupils, and the difficulties his son Jacob II had with launching an independent career, it seems that De Wet had a large and successful practise in Haarlem. His son Jacob II was the only one of 5 children who also became a painter. More on Jacob Willemsz. de Wet the Elder

Unknown artist

Tamar holding Judah's seal, cord, and staff

I have no further description, at this time

Unknown artist

Tamar presenting Judah with his seal, cord, and staff, c. 17th century

Oil on canvas

120 x 144 cm

Private collection

Three months later, Tamar was accused of prostitution on account of her pregnancy. Upon hearing this news, Judah ordered that she be burned to death. Tamar sent the staff, seal, and cord to Judah with a message declaring that the owner of these items was the man who had made her pregnant. Upon recognizing these items as his security, Judah released Tamar from her sentence. Tamar, having thus secured her place in the family as well as Judah's posterity, gave birth to twins, Perez and Zerah. The midwife marks Zerah's hand with a scarlet cord when he emerges first from the womb, though Perez is born first. Perez is identified in the Book of Ruth as the ancestor of King David. The Genesis narrative also makes a note that Judah did not have further sexual relations with Tamar. More on Tamar

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

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04 works, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, American artist Deborah Lanino, with Footnotes. #200

Deborah Lanino 

Triumph of Christ with Angels II​, c. 2021

Acrylic on Canvas

18" x 24"

Private collection

American artist Deborah Lanino has a unique connection to the art world. As a direct descendant of Bernardino Lanino, a successful Renaissance painter from Vercelli, Italy over 400 years ago, she finds this connection imbues her fusion of impressionism and expressionism with a unique insight.

Bernardino Lanino  (1512–1583) 

Triumph of Christ with Angels and Cherubs

Oil on panel

height: 97 cm (38.1 in); width: 149 cm (58.6 in)

Private collection

Bernardino Lanini or Lanino (c. 1512 – c. 1582) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Milan.

He was born in Mortara near Pavia. He trained as a pupil of the painter Gaudenzio Ferrari. In Milan, he painted a Last Supper for the church San Nazaro Grande. He painted a Holy family for the church of Sant'Ambrogio, now on display in the Brera Gallery. He painted frescoes on the Life of the Magdalen for the church of San Cristoforo in Vercelli. Three of his works are on display at the Museo Borgogna in Vercelli, including: an Annunciation; a Madonna and Child with Saints Bernardino of Siena and St Francis of Assisi (also labeled Madonna del cane due to dog asleep below Virgin); and a painted standard of Madonna and Child with St Anne and hooded confraternity brothers, painted for the Confraternita di Sant’Anna. Lanini painted a St Catherine for the church San Celso. He frescoed sibyls for the Novara Cathedral. He also painted for a chapel in the Basilica of San Magno, Legnano. Other paintings are in Saronno. More on Bernardino Lanino

Deborah was born in New York and before relocating to Los Angeles, California she lived in the Chelsea area of NYC, where she worked as an award winning illustrator of numerous published book covers, children’s picture books, magazine covers and posters for the theater. Her first published picture book was the Christmas classic "The Littlest Angel."

Deborah Lanino

Madonna II , c. 2021

Acrylic on paper 

9” x 12”

Private collection

Deborah holds a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from Pratt Institute and a Masters Degree from Argosy University. She also studied art and art history at SACI in Florence, Italy.

Bernardino Lanino, 1512-1583

The head of the Virgin

Black and white chalk, stumping, on blue paper

12¾ x 8 5/8 in. (32.4 x 22.1 cm.)

Private collection

This drawing was recognized as a work by Lanino by R.R. Coleman. He identified it as a preparatory study for Lanino's Madonna delle Grazie in the church of San Paolo in the artist's native Vercelli. Lanino received the commission around 1554, though the painting is signed and dated 1568. Another version of the head by Lanino remains in the collection of the Biblioteca Reale. More on this work

Although this drawing was executed late in Lanino's career, it is still strongly influenced by the art of his master, Gaudenzio Ferrari, whose style remained the preferred taste of patrons in Vercelli. Indeed, the contract for Lanino's Madonna delle Grazie, drawn up on 8 May 1554, specified that the artist should base his altarpiece on Gaudenzio's Madonna degli Aranci in the church of San Cristoforo, also in Vercelli.

Today, Deborah can often be found in her art studio in Los Angeles. Deborah makes original art that invites you to find beauty, hope and positivity in everyday moments. Her fine art work appears in various collections throughout the world. More on Deborah Lanino

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

14 Ancient Egyptian Engravings & Carvings- With footnotes - 6

An Egyptian wood mummy mask for a man 

Third Intermediate - Late Period, circa 1069-332 B.C.

53cm high

Private collection

The face with traces of gesso, the facial features carved with the eyes and brows detailed in black paint, with large ears, a false beard, the wig with black paint remaining. More

An Egyptian polychrome wood figure of a female offering-bearer 

Middle Kingdom, 11th-12th Dynasty, circa 2133-1786 B.C.

23.5cm high

Private collection

Shown striding forward wearing a close fitting long garment, the left arm raised to steady the offering basket carried on her head, with ochre coloured skin, the details of the face finely painted. More

An Egyptian limestone wall-painting fragment from the tomb of Ken-Amun 

Thebes, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Reign of Amenhotep II, circa 1427-1400 B.C.

 24.9cm high

Private collection

The decoration composed of polychrome on plaster, depicting a young man in profile with a short Nubian hairstyle with locks of black hair falling at the forehead and cheeks, the skin in reddish brown with finely-painted brow and eye, the broad collar painted in blue, green and pinkish-cream, the background ochre, set in a perspex frame,

Kenamun was the overseer of the cattle of Amun and chief steward of Amenhotep II. His mother, Amenemipet, was a wet nurse of Amenhotep II. 

The tomb was known of from the early 19th Century and was visited by Champollion and Lepsius among others. In the late 1920s the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, fully documented and published the content of the tomb with drawings by N. de Garis Davies. 

This fragment depicts a man with a Nubian hairstyle, which was only in fashion among soldiers under Amenhotep II.

A large Egyptian alabaster shabti 

New Kingdom, late 18th - early 19th Dynasty, circa 1400-1200 B.C.

32cm high

Private collection

The male figure shown in daily dress with added painted details, wearing a duplex wig, the arms crossed over the chest, wearing pleated drapery with short sleeves and a long kilt projecting over the feet, a now faded column of hieroglyphic text down the front of the kilt. More

An ancient Egyptian shabti  was a funerary figurine used in Ancient Egypt. Ushabtis were placed in tombs among the grave goods and were intended to act as servants or minions for the deceased, should he/she be called upon to do manual labor in the afterlife. The figurines frequently carried a hoe on their shoulder and a basket on their backs, implying they were intended to farm for the deceased. They were usually written on by the use of hieroglyphs typically found on the legs. More

An Egyptian limestone relief fragment 

New Kingdom, late 18th Dynasty, circa 1300 B.C.

16.5cm x 15cm

Private collection

Carved in relief with the seated figures of Ptah, titled 'King of the two lands' and 'Great Seat' by the hieroglyphs above, and 'the Goddess of the West', called 'Hathor, mistress of the West', with part of a large lotus flower in front of Ptah, probably from the top of an offering, the columns of hieroglyphic text: 'For the Ka of ...' (the name of the deceased is missing).

In Egyptian mythology, Ptah is the god  responsible for the fashioning and maintenance of the physical universe, of Memphis, god of craftsmen and architects. In the triad of Memphis, he is the spouse of Sekhmet and the father of Nefertum. He was also regarded as the father of the sage Imhotep.

Ptah is the Creator god par excellence, by his willfulness, thought the world. It was first conceived by Thought, and realized by the Word. Ptah conceives the world by the thought of his heart and gives life through the magic of his Word. That which Ptah commanded was created, with which the constituents of nature, fauna, and flora, are contained. He also plays a role in the preservation of the world and the permanence of the royal function.

Profile of the god Ptah - Relief of the small temple of Hathor at Memphis,  nineteenth dynasty

Private Collection

In the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, the Nubian pharaoh Shabaka would transcribe on a stela known as the Shabaka Stone, an old theological document found in the archives of the library of the temple of the god at Memphis. This document has been known as the Memphite Theology, and shows the god Ptah, the god responsible for the creation of the universe by thought and by the word.

Ptah is the patron of craftsmanship, metalworking, carpenters, shipbuilders, and sculpture. From the Middle Kingdom onwards, he was one of five major Egyptian gods with Ra, Isis, Osiris and Amun. More

Hathor from the crypt at Dendera Temple 

(Photo by Yvonne Buskens, 2010)

Private Collection

Hathor  is an Ancient Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of joy, feminine love, and motherhood. She was one of the most important and popular deities throughout the history of Ancient Egypt. Hathor was worshiped by royalty and common people alike in whose tombs she is depicted as "Mistress of the West" welcoming the dead into the next life. In other roles she was a goddess of music, dance, foreign lands and fertility who helped women in childbirth, as well as the patron goddess of miners.

Hathor is commonly depicted as a cow goddess with horns in which is set a sun disk with Uraeus. Twin feathers are also sometimes shown in later periods as well as a menat necklace.

The Ancient Greeks sometimes identified Hathor with the goddess Aphrodite. More

Egyptian limestone figure of a concubine

New Kingdom, c. 1570 - 1075 BC

Private Collection

Egyptian limestone figure of a concubine, New Kingdom, c. 1570 - 1075 BC, wearing a Nubian wig and head band, her arms pendant at her sides. She lays on the lower portion of a sarcophagus, antique collection notes in black ink. Her features are  detailed with remnants of black pigment in the eyes and on her hair. From Heliopolis (Matarieh), H: 3 3/4 in (9.5cm). 'Concubine' figures are found in the tombs of both men and women and probably served various functions such as providing the deceased with a partner in the afterlife or fertility for the living. An inscription on the thigh of one of these figures states 'May a birth be granted to your daughter She', indicating this particular figurine was placed in a man's tomb by his daughter who he could help her conceive. More

Egyptian sandstone relief

Ptolemaic Period

Private Collection

Egyptian sandstone relief, Ptolemaic Period, c. 332 - 30 BC, with a large solar disk flanked by uraei, several hieroglyphic characters around, including one in the form of a facing human head, which is beautifully carved. The signs are deeply carved with much detail. A substantial amount of original pigment remains with the facing head sign. A very attractive display piece with a very clever custom magnetic stand. 14 in x 7 ¾ in x 2 ½ in. More

EGYPTIAN SANDSTONE RELIEF

Architectural Fragment

Private Collection

EGYPTIAN SANDSTONE RELIEF - Fragment of Architectural Sunk Relief showing the head of a Queen and part of an accompanying inscription, possibly Egypt – New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Amarna Period, reign of Akhenaten, ca. 1353-1336 B.C. Roughly 8 1/2" x 10" x 3". Worn. More

Egyptian stucco figurine of Isis with child Horus

Private Collection

An Egyptian stucco figurine of Isis with the child Horus, c. 1200 - 332 BC, mold made, the goddess is depicted in classic pose seated on her throne, wearing a long tight-fitting gown and a headdress consisting of a solar disk and ram's horns, suckling the child Horus who sits on her lap in her arms, H: 4 7/8 in (12.5cm). More

Egyptian Intaglio with Cleopatra as Isis

Private Collection

51-30 BC. An iron bezel with inset gold cameo depicting queen Cleopatra, as the goddess Isis, wearing tripartite wig, vulture headdress with uraeus and sun disc between cow horns; broad collar around neck. 1.25 grams, 21mm (1/4") From the Dolman collection; acquired in the early 1920s.   Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last member of the Ptolemaic dynasty to rule over Egypt and was famously associated with both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony before she committed suicide after her defeat by Octavian Caesar, later the Emperor Augustus, at the battle of Actium. Cleopatra was the only member of the dynasty to speak the native Egyptian language and strongly identified herself with the Egyptian religion, patronising important temples such as that dedicated to the goddess Hathor at Denderah. She closely identified herself with the goddess Isis, and her coinage hailed her as the ‘New Isis,’ and she was actively worshipped as such in Egypt. After the ‘Donations of Alexandria’ she was never in public without her Isis robes. Caesar had even recognised Cleopatra as Isis in a triumph held in Rome and dedicated a gold statue of her as Isis in the temple of Venus Genetrix in the Forum. Religion was an integral part of Cleopatra’s political propaganda, for the sect of Isis had spread throughout the ancient Mediterranean world, and to be ‘internationally’ recognised as the goddess gave Cleopatra greater political prestige in the East. When Antony became a crucial part of her plans, Cleopatra’s propaganda ensured that he was revered by Greek Egyptians as Dionysus and by native Egyptians as Osiris, the ‘king of kings’. More

Egyptian Pectoral Plaque with Isis and Mut

Private Collection

Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 BC. A carved steatite trapezoidal pectoral plaque with holes to the upper edge and rear face; raised reeded border with winged sun-disc above profile high-relief figures of Isis wearing the horned headdress of Hathor and Mut in feathered headdress. 124 grams, 85mm (3 1/2"). More

An Egyptian cartonnage panel, Late Period

Private Collection

An Egyptian cartonnage panel, Late Period, c. 664 - 30 BC, depicting a large winged scarab above, a seated winged deity below, each flanked by two mummiform deities (Sons of Horus) and bordered by multicolored lines and rosettes. W: 11 2/5 in (29cm), H: 9 1/5 in (23.3cm). More

Acknowledgement: Ancient Resource, 

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others

26 Ancient Egyptian Artefacts - With footnotes - 3

An Egyptian Basalt Bust of Tuthmosis III, 18th Dynasty, reign of Tuthmosis III, 1479-1426 B.C.

Height 4 3/4 in. 12.1 cm.

Probably from an enthroned statue of the king, wearing a ribbed ceremonial beard with chin-straps in relief, and the nemes-headcloth with alternating wide and narrow stripes and striated lappets and queue, his face with mouth indented at the corners, straight nose, and wide-set eyes with long contoured eyebrows and cosmetic lines in relief, the nipples recessed for inlay, a trace of the back-pillar below the queue.

A Fragmentary Egyptian Red Granite head of Amenhotep III, 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, 1390-1353 B.C.

Height 9 5/8 in. 24.4 cm.

From an over life-size statue of the king, his face with full lips, broad nostrils, almond-shaped eye with prominent upper lid folded over the lower at the outer corner, and thick arched tapering eyebrow in relief, a small part of the nemes-headcloth and ceremonial beard remaining, the beard-strap incised.

An Egyptian Steatite Figure of the Lady Iset, Chantress of Sobek, 19th Dynasty, Reign of Ramesses I/early in the Reign of Ramesses II, circa 1292-1250 B.C.

Height 16 in. 40.6 cm.

Wife of the scribe Imen-heru, seated on a cushioned seat with her hands resting on her thighs, and wearing sandals, long wraparound pleated gown clinging to her body and fastened below the chest, bracelets, broad beaded collar, and long wig, parted in the center, bound in a diadem with lotus flower in front, arranged in a herringbone pattern down the sides and back, and falling over the shoulders in short fringes, the back pillar and back of the seat finely engraved in sunk relief with three columns of inscription starting with the hetep-di-nesut offering formula (“an offering given by the King”) and naming “Isis of the sovereign isle of the gods,” the sides of the seat engraved at a later stage with representations of Itset’s children, on the right with two columns of inscriptions and the figures of two striding priests, one called Nakht(?), “prophet of Paibib,” the other “wab-priest of Paibib”, his name unspecified, and on the left side of the throne with two striding women each introduced as a “chantress of Ptah” in the accompanying inscriptions, raising her left hand in a gesture of adoration, and holding a lotus flower in her right hand.

An Egyptian Sandstone Relief Fragment, Karnak, early in the reign of Akhenaten, circa 1353-1345 B.C.

8 1/4 x 11 x 2 1/8 in. 21 x 27.9 x 5.4 cm.

Probably from a talatat, carved in sunk relief with two bowing figures, perhaps bent over in toil.

An Egyptian Limestone Votive Relief Fragment, late Ptolemaic/early Roman Period, circa 50 B.C./100 A.D.

6 1/2 x 7 x 2 in. 16.5 x 17.3 x 5.1 cm.

Carved in high relief with the god Tutu in the form of a sphinx, striding to right on a serpent, Maat feathers on his paws, the vulture goddess Nekhbet.

An Egyptian Polychrome Limestone Relief Fragment, early 18th Dynasty, circa 1540-1400 B.C.

11 7/16 by 13 3/16 in. 29 by 33.5 cm.

Carved in shallow relief with two lector priests on the day of a burial, the priest on the left pouring libations of purifying water, the priest on the right standing on the stern of a boat that carried the deceased on the voyage to Abydos.

An Egyptian Limestone Votive Bust of a King, early Ptolemaic Period, circa 305-200 B.C., possibly Ptolemy II Philadelphos (285-246 B.C.), 

Height 6 in. 15.2 cm.

Wearing a fragmentary nemes-headcloth with uraeus, his face with mouth rounded at the corners and large eyes with contoured upper lids.

An Egyptian Bronze Figure of Isis with Horus, 25th/26th Dynasty, 750-525 B.C.

Height without tenon 7 5/8 in. 19.4 cm.

Seated and holding her child Horus in her lap, and wearing a long close-fitting dress, beaded collar, finely striated tripartite wig with uraeus, vulture headdress, diadem of uraei, and horns and sun-disk (the latter with restoration), her broad face with smiling mouth and large wide-set eyes.

An Egyptian Bronze Figure of a Goddess, 26th/30th Dynasty, 664-342 B.C.

Height from modern base 4 7/8 in. 12.4 cm.

Probably Isis, standing on a rectangular base with her arms held at her sides, and wearing a long close-fitting dress, bracelets and armlets, broad collar, finely striated tripartite wig passing behind her ears, uraeus, and diadem of uraei surmounted by horns and sun-disk, her face with slightly smiling mouth with full lips, and large eyes with tapering eyebrows.

An Egyptian bronze figure of Osiris, 26th Dynasty, 664-525 B.C.

Height 14 3/4 in. 37.5 cm.

Standing and holding the crook and flail, and wearing a close-fitting cloak, beard and atef-crown with large uraeus and fragmentary plumes.

An Egyptian Limestone Figure of a Nile Perch, Ptolemaic Period, 304-30 B.C.

Length 6 3/4 in. 17.1 cm.

With finely engraved scales and formerly inlaid eyes.

An Egyptian Serpentine Ushabti of Kefri, Mistress of the House, late 18th Dynasty, circa 1330-1292 B.C.

Height 7 13/16 in. 19.8 cm

Holding hoes and a seed-sack behind her left shoulder, and wearing a pectoral in the form of a ba-bird with outstretched wings, broad beaded collar, long enveloping wig of horizontally striated curls, and floral diadem centering a lotus blossom above the forehead, her face with full lips indented at the corners, straight nose, and almond-shaped eyes with long incised eyebrows and cosmetic lines, the seven lines of inscription in sunk relief naming the owner and reciting a spell on her behalf followed by verses from chapter VI of the Book of the Dead.

The ushabti was a funerary figurine used in Ancient Egypt. Ushabtis were placed in tombs among the grave goods and were intended to act as servants or minions for the deceased, should he/she be called upon to do manual labor in the afterlife. The figurines frequently carried a hoe on their shoulder and a basket on their backs, implying they were intended to farm for the deceased. They were usually written on by the use of hieroglyphs typically found on the legs. Called “answerers,” they carried inscriptions asserting their readiness to answer the gods' summons to work. The practice of using ushabtis originated in the Old Kingdom (c. 2600 to 2100 BCE) with the use of life-sized reserve heads made from limestone, which were buried with the mummy. Most ushabtis were of minor size, and many produced in multiples – they sometimes covered the floor around a sarcophagus. Exceptional ushabtis are of larger size, or produced as a one of-a-kind master work.


Due to the ushabti's commonness through all Egyptian timeperiods, and world museums' desire to represent ancient Egyptian art objects, the ushabti is one of the most commonly represented objects in Egyptology displays. Produced in huge numbers, ushabtis, along with scarabs, are the most numerous of all ancient Egyptian antiquities to survive. More

An Egyptian Serpentine Ushabti of Kenj, 19th Dynasty, 1292-1190 B.C.

Height 7 in. 17. 8 cm.

Holding hoes and seed-sack, another agricultural implement with criss-crossing ropes tucked into the back of his kilt below the proper right shoulder, and wearing a long-sleeved shirt, long pleated kilt with over-fold, broad beaded collar, and double wig composed of zig-zag and echeloned curls, his face with slightly aquiline nose and wide-set eyes, a column of inscription on the over-fold and five lines of inscription on the kilt behind naming the owner and reciting chapter VI from the Book of the Dead.

An Egyptian Pale Blue Faience Ushabti of Neferibresaneith, 26th Dynasty, reign of Amasis, 570-526 B.C.

Height 7 1/4 in. 18.4 cm

Wab priest of the king, Royal Chancellor of Lower Egypt, Administrator of the Palace, and son of Shepen-Bastet, holding the hoe, pick, and seed-sack over his left shoulder, and wearing a braided beard with curled tip and striated tripartite wig, his finely modeled face with full lips indented at the corners, straight nose, and long contoured eyebrows and cosmetic lines, the nine lines of inscription beginning and ending at the back pillar.

Ushabtis of Neferibresaneith are among the most beautiful faience works of the period known as the Saite Renaissance. Everything is perfectly carved: the modeling of the body softly wrapped in the shroud, the details of the hair, the anatomy of the face, the attribute-tools, and especially the long inscription, which is composed of clear, evenly engraved signs. Following the usual typology of these figurines, the man is standing upright, his body entirely wrapped in a pall; only the hands protrude from the shroud at chest level and hold a hoe, a pick, and the string of a seed sack suspended from the left shoulder and hanging in the back. The square face, which conveys a serene, barely “smiling” expression, is framed by a tripartite wig, while a false beard adorns the chin. The inscription occupies horizontal lines placed on the legs of the figurine, on both sides of the supporting pillar. It indicates the name of the deceased and of his mother (Shepenhoubastet), but it does not give his complete titles. This figure, named Neferibresaneith, was a well-known notable under the Saite dynasty. The text is completed by the long version of Chapter 6b of the Book of the Dead, which forces an ushabti to carry out many tasks for the deceased in the afterlife.


Other ancient sources reveal that in the reign of Pharaoh Amasis, Neferibresaneith was the Wab priest to the king, royal chancellor of Lower Egypt, and administrator of the palace. His tomb was found at Saqqara (a shaft grave located near the pyramids of the Old Kingdom) in 1929: the ushabtis of Neferibresaneith, which had been deposited on the lid of the anthropoid sarcophagus, were subsequently sold by the Egyptian Antiquities Service and are currently housed in many public and private collections worldwide. From the small but numerous stylistic and textual differences (the rendering of the face and the modeling of the chest and body are not exactly the same, the engraved text is not always identical, and some hieroglyphic signs show differences between one example and another), these ushabtis can be divided into four groups, each “descending” from a different matrix. After the statuette was removed from the mold, the finishing touches were done by hand. This demonstrates that the pieces were mass-produced, probably by several craftsmen, or that they were executed in different workshops. The three examples presented here seem to have been made from three different molds. More

A Large Egyptian Wood Mummy Mask, 25th/early 26th Dynasty, circa 750-600 B.C.

Height 13 1/4 in. 33.7 cm.

Wearing a short beard, the central portion of the tripartite wig remaining, his broad idealized face with full outlined lips rounded at the corners, shallow philtrum, straight nose, and inlaid almond-shaped eyes with long slightly flaring cosmetic lines, the inlay of the pupils and long finely-arched eyebrows missing; faint traces of red pigment on the face, and blue pigment on the lower edge of the wig.

Ancient Egyptians believed that it is very important to preserve a body of the dead because the soul has to have a place where to dwell after the death. Preservation of the dead body was done by mummification. It was also considered very important for the soul to be able to recognize the body so it can return to it. For that reason death masks were used. Death mask were made in the likeness of the deceased and from the different materials. Early masks were made from wood, in two pieces and connected with pegs. After that Egyptians used, so called, cartonnage, a material made from papyrus or linen and soaked in plaster and then molded on a wooden mold. That was, of course, a cheap variant intended for lower class. Royal death masks were made from precious metals, first of all - gold or gold leaves on bronze. One of the most famous funerary masks is the mask of the Tutankhamen. All death masks were made to resemble deceased but with a slightly enlarged eyes and a faint smile and also showed fashion of the moment with painted jewelry and makeup. These death masks later evolved into a full body inner coffins in the human shape with same decorations and ornaments More

A Monumental Granite Figure of Sekhmet Enthroned, Thebes, 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, 1403-1365 B.C.

Height: 82 1/2 in.; 209.5 cm

The lion-headed goddess seated against a back pillar with her hands resting by her knees, the right hand open, the left hand holding an ankh, and wearing a long close-fitting dress, broad collar, and striated tripartite wig covering her mane, the stylized whiskers and ruff carved in shallow relief, the high projection behind the head with channel for insertion of the sun-disk and uraeus, her throne carved on each side with block borders and the union of the emblematic plants of Upper and Lower Egypt, and on the front with two columns of inscription in sunk relief containing the prenomen and nomen of Amenhotep III: the “good God, the Lord of performing Rituals, Neb-maat-re,” and “The Son of Re, whom Re loves, Amenhotep, Ruler of Thebes,” in both declaring him “beloved of Sekhmet-Selkyt.”

In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet  was originally the warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing for Upper Egypt, when the kingdom of Egypt was divided. She is depicted as a lioness, the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians. It was said that her breath formed the desert. She was seen as the protector of the pharaohs and led them in warfare.

Her cult was so dominant in the culture that when the first pharaoh of the twelfth dynasty, Amenemhat I, moved the capital of Egypt to Itjtawy, the centre for her cult was moved as well. Religion, the royal lineage, and the authority to govern were intrinsically interwoven in Ancient Egypt during its approximately three millennia of existence.


Sekhmet also is a Solar deity, sometimes called the daughter of the sun god Ra and often associated with the goddesses Hathor and Bast. She bears the Solar disk and the uraeus which associates her with Wadjet and royalty. With these associations she can be construed as being a divine arbiter of the goddess Ma'at (Justice, or Order) in the Judgment Hall of Osiris, associating her with the Wadjet (later the Eye of Ra), and connecting her with Tefnut as well. More

Amenhotep III, also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty. According to different authors, he ruled Egypt from June 1386 to 1349 BC or June 1388 BC to December 1351 BC/1350 BC[4] after his father Thutmose IV died. Amenhotep III was the son of Thutmose by a minor wife Mutemwiya.[5]

His reign was a period of unprecedented prosperity and artistic splendour, when Egypt reached the peak of its artistic and international power. When he died in the 38th or 39th year of his reign, his son initially ruled as Amenhotep IV, but then changed his own royal name to Akhenaten. More

An Egyptian Limestone Votive Relief, 30th Dynasty/ early Ptolemaic Period, circa 380-200 B.C.

Height 8 5/8 in. 21.9 cm.

A finely carved shallow relief with a serpent-headed god striding to right and wearing a short kilt and long tripartite wig. 

Relief plaques, usually set on pillars in sanctuary precincts, are the commonest sculptural dedications. They may show the donor, often with his family, making a sacrifice or offering, and the deity is often shown also, at a larger size, receiving them.

Nehebkau (Nehebu-Kau, Nehebkhau), 'He Who Unites the Kas', was a benevolent snake god who the Egyptians believed was one of the original primeval gods. He was linked to the sun god, swimming around in the primeval waters before creation, then bound to the sun god when time began. He was a god of protection who protected the pharaoh and all Egyptians, both in life and in the afterlife. More

An Egyptian Limestone Sarcophagus Mask, 30th Dynasty/early Ptolemaic Period, circa 380-250 B.C.

17 by 20 in. by 43.2 by 51 cm.

From the lid of a large anthropoid sarcophagus, wearing a wide tripartite wig, the idealized face with full outlined lips, straight nose, and almond-shaped eyes with long contoured eyebrows and cosmetic lines in relief; remains of blue and black pigment.

The Ptolemaic dynasty  was a Macedonian Greek royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC. They were the last dynasty of ancient Egypt.

Ptolemy, one of the seven somatophylakes (bodyguards) who served as Alexander the Great's generals and deputies, was appointed satrap of Egypt after Alexander's death in 323 BC. In 305 BC, he declared himself King Ptolemy I, later known as "Soter" (saviour). The Egyptians soon accepted the Ptolemies as the successors to the pharaohs of independent Egypt. Ptolemy's family ruled Egypt until the Roman conquest of 30 BC.

All the male rulers of the dynasty took the name Ptolemy. Ptolemaic queens, some of whom were the sisters of their husbands, were usually called Cleopatra, Arsinoe or Berenice. The most famous member of the line was the last queen, Cleopatra VII, known for her role in the Roman political battles between Julius Caesar and Pompey, and later between Octavian and Mark Antony. Her apparent suicide at the conquest by Rome marked the end of Ptolemaic rule in Egypt. More

An Egyptian Polychrome Limestone Ushabti of the Squire Paser, 18th Dynasty circa 1550-1292 B.C.

Height 9 in. 23 cm.

Holding hoes and a seed-sack over his left shoulder, and striated tripartite wig, the seven lines of inscription in sunk relief naming the owner, mentioning his title, and reciting Spell VI of the Book of the Dead.

The Ancient Egyptian Noble Paser was vizier, in the reigns of Seti I and Ramesses II, during the 19th dynasty. He would later also become High Priest of Amun.


Paser was part of the close entourage of Seti I's son, the then Prince Ramesses. More

An Egyptian Wood Mummy Mask, Late Period, 716-30 B.C.

Height 25.5 cm.

The oval face with full lips and aquiline nose, the central portion of the wig remaining; remains of red and black pigment.

An Egyptian Polychrome and Gilt Cartonnage Mummy Mask, late Ptolemaic Period, circa 100-30 B.C.

Height 12 1/2 in. 31.3 cm.

Wearing a tripartite wig and broad collar painted in black and touches of red on the white ground with numerous rows of foliate and other beads, the face with long black-painted eyebrows and cosmetic lines.

An Egyptian Polychrome and Gilt Cartonnage Mummy Mask, late Ptolemaic Period, circa 100-30 B.C.

Height 18 1/8 in. 46 cm.

Wearing a broad collar and wig with headband knotted in back and Eye of Horus in relief in front, the stylized hair falling in linked spirals over the forehead, the gilt face with eyes and eyebrows painted black and white, the lappets decorated on the left with a seated figure of Nephthys and on the right with a seated figure of Isis, a diminutive figure of a woman wearing a diademed tripartite wig on the back; traces of bitumen.

Nephthys or Nebthet is a member of the Great Ennead of Heliopolis in Egyptian mythology, a daughter of Nut and Geb. Nephthys was typically paired with her sister Isis in funerary rites because of their role as protectors of the mummy and the god Osiris and as the sister-wife of Set. More

A Large Egyptian Polychrome Wood Figure of Ptah-Soker-Osiris , Ptolemaic Period, 304-30 B.C.

Height 27 1/2 in. 70 cm.

The god standing on a rectangular base decorated with rosettes on the sides and three columns of inscription on top invoking the protection of Ptah and Osiris, and wearing a broad beaded collar with Horus-head terminals, beard, and tripartite wig surmounted by a crown of horns with plumes and sun-disk, a panel of five columns of inscription on the body in front surmounted by a kneeling figure of the goddess Maat holding plumes.

A figure of either the god Osiris or of the composite deity Ptah-Soker-Osiris could be found, along with heart scarabs, both gold and faience.

An Egyptian Wood Figure of a Crocodile, Sacred to the God Sobek, Late 12th/ 13th Dynasty, circa 1800-1640 B.C.

Length 8 1/8 in. 15.6 cm.

Possibly from the lid of a crocodile coffin, resting on a fragmentary base with head lifted and jaws agape, the markings of the thick hide finely carved. 

Sobek was an ancient Egyptian deity with a complex and fluid nature. He is associated with the Nile crocodile and is either represented in its form or as a human with a crocodile head. Sobek was also associated with pharaonic power, fertility, and military prowess, but served additionally as a protective deity with apotropaic qualities, invoked particularly for protection against the dangers presented by the Nile river. More

An Egyptian Pale Blue Faience Amulet of Thoth, 26th/ 30th Dynasty, 664-342 B.C.

Height 2 3/4 in. 7 cm.

The ibis-headed god striding on a rectangular base with recess, perhaps for an insertion, behind the back pillar, and wearing a pleated kilt and striated tripartite wig, a small pendant loop on the wig’s right side, a ribbed simulated suspension hole on the pillar, the head finely modeled.

Thoth was one of the deities of the Egyptian pantheon. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or a baboon, animals sacred to him. His feminine counterpart was Seshat, and his wife was Ma'at.

Thoth's chief temple was located in the city of Khmun, later called Hermopolis Magna during the Greco-Roman era (in reference to him through the Greeks' interpretation that he was the same as their god Hermes) and Shmounein in the Coptic rendering, and was partially destroyed in 1826. In that city, he led the Ogdoad pantheon of eight principal deities. He also had numerous shrines within the cities of Abydos, Hesert, Urit, Per-Ab, Rekhui, Ta-ur, Sep, Hat, Pselket, Talmsis, Antcha-Mutet, Bah, Amen-heri-ab, and Ta-kens.


Thoth played many vital and prominent roles in Egyptian mythology, such as maintaining the universe, and being one of the two deities who stood on either side of Ra's boat. In the later history of ancient Egypt, Thoth became heavily associated with the arbitration of godly disputes, the arts of magic, the system of writing, the development of science, and the judgment of the dead. More

An Egyptian Turquoise Faience Figure of a Baboon, late 18th/20th Dynasty, circa 1390-1075 B.C.

Height 6 1/8 in. 15.5 cm.

Sacred to the moon god Thoth, seated on a pylon-shaped support rounded at the back and resting his forepaws on his knees, the tail curved around to one side, his cape-like mass of fur composed of echeloned vertically-striated lappets against a horizontally-striated ground, a naos pendant suspended on the chest, with incised mouth, recessed eyes beneath prominent arched brows, and human-like ears, a mortise for insertion of a headdress, probably the crescent and moon-disk, on the crown, a deep tapering recess under the support. 

Acknowledgement: Sothebys