EGYPTIAN BRONZE AND ALABASTER RITUAL VESSEL WITH FALCON-SHAPED STOPPER

Late Period, ca. 664 - 332 BC. A slender elongated bronze vessel with an ovoid body tapering to a rounded, footless base and rising to a narrow cylindrical neck. Its stopper, carved from honey-coloured calcite or ‘Egyptian alabaster’, takes the form of a falcon’s head wearing a finely striated tripartite wig, with deeply outlined eyes and a short projecting beak. The image represents Qebehsenuef, the falcon-headed Son of Horus traditionally entrusted with the protection of the intestines. Conceived as a reduced version of a canopic jar, the vessel was probably funerary or votive rather than intended for ordinary storage. Size: 150mm x 40mm; Weight: 290g Provenance: Private UK collection; previously part of an Oxfordshire ancient art collection; acquired from a Canadian collection formed prior to 2000. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter. This piece is accompanied by a statement from Lisa Sartini, Egyptologist PHD of Chimera Heritage Consultants.

Estimate:£800

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