This is the rating and price for Staff Finial, 1980

Description : Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, ca. 332 to 30 BCE. A wondrous leaded bronze staff finial of a tubular form surmounted by a crowned ram representative of Khnum, the god of the inundation of the Nile River and one of the gods of creation. The majestic bovid presents standing atop an integral rectangular plinth with its plump body supported by hooved forelegs and thick back legs bisected with an attenuated tail draped off its hind quarters. The bulbous chest smooths gently upwards to form the slender neckline which is incised with dozens of vertical striations indicative of a radiant collar. Petite, almond-shaped eyes are situated within the recessed eye sockets of the tapered triangular head and rest above the tapered snout and narrow mouth, and its perky ears are surrounded by a grand pair of semicircular horns. The zoomorphic Khnum dons an Atef crown with ostrich feathers on the sides, a frontal uraeus cobra, and a sun disc on top. Lustrous layers of mottled brown and green patina have developed across the composition and saturate it with an attractive, dignified reception. Size: 1.4 L x 0.7 W x 4.5 H (3.6 cm x 1.8 cm x 11.4 cm), 5.3 H (13.5 cm) on included custom stand. According to Manfred Lurker, vice-chairman of the Research Circle for Symbolism in Salzburg, Germany, Khnum was worshipped in the form of a ram into the early period of the New Kingdom but was then represented as a man with a ram's head. He was regarded at Elephantine as guardian of the source of the Nile who brought forth the inundation. His more important function was that of creator. Khnum fashioned the body of a child on a potter's wheel and implanted him as a seed in his mother's body. He also made the gods in that way. He was the 'father of fathers, the mother of mothers'. Together with Heket, the goddess of birth, he assisted at the birth. At Esna in southern Egypt Khnum was the creator of all beings, in fact he was the embodiment of the whole world. (Lurker, Manfred. The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Dictionary. Thames & Hudson, London, 1980, p. 74) Cf. The British Museum, museum number EA61693 Published in Art of the Ancient World: Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Byzantine, Egyptian, & Near Eastern Antiquities. Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, Vol. XXIX (2018), p. 79, fig. 160. Provenance: private St. Clair, Michigan USA collection, acquired in May 1988 from Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, New York, USA, on loan to Miami University Art Museum, Ball State University Art Gallery, George Mason University and Fitchburg Art Museum from 1988 to 2016 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #160775
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Estimate (low-high) : 8000 USD-12000 USD It's free to register now to view!

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