Lot 2
Egypt, Late Dynastic period, ca. 712 to 332 BCE. An exquisite pair of gessoed cartonnages - layers of linen or papyrus covered with plaster, formed into panels to line the inside of a sarcophagus or used as mummy decoration. Given their overlapping color scheme of rich russet red, sky blue, peachy beige, and jet black, these compositions probably came from the same coffin. Custom mounted and framed. Size: upper panel measures 6.5" L x 8.25" W (16.5 cm x 21 cm); lower panel measures 5.5" L x 8.5" W (14 cm x 21.6 cm); framed ~ 18.125" L x 14.75" W (46 cm x 37.5 cm)
These painted sections are made of gesso (a mixture of chalk, pigment, and gypsum) over wide linen strips; a plastered surface like this made for a more stable surface for painting. The paintings are replete with traditional Egyptian funerary symbols, and contain no hieroglyphs. The upper panel features a winged scarab, oftentimes placed on the breast of a mummy, flanked by two falcon heads of Horus, god of the sky and kingship, son of Isis and Osiris, that face outward. Beneath is a depiction of multiple strands of a grand pectoral; hence, this panel was most likely intended to be placed over the chest area. The second panel features the beautiful Isis sitting upon her knees and spreading her wings; she dons her characteristic sun disk. The figure of Isis is surrounded by the four sons of Horus - Imsety, Duamutef, Hapi, and Qebehsenuef - who were in essence personifications of the four canoptic jars that traditionally accompanied mummified bodies.
By the time of the Late Dynastic period, the elaborate funerary rituals and furniture of the Egyptian grave had become an industry, mass produced, and given to, for the first time, the non-elite. While on the one hand, this signaled a decline in these religious practices and a simplification of motifs and artwork, it also represented a democratization of death, opening up access to privileged religious and afterlife-ensuring rituals to many more members of the society.
Provenance: private New York collection
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#120893
- Condition: Surface wear with minor pigment loss and discoloration commensurate with age. Minor losses to peripheries.
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