Lot 12
Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. A fine example of a sculptor's mold-formed plaster model of a human right leg standing atop a fragment of the original integral plinth. The toned leg bears a narrow ankle, a smooth calf that tapers to a flat surface just above the knee, and a shapely foot exhibiting lengthy toes and remains of sandal straps. Sculptors would occasionally decorate anthropomorphic models like this example with bright pigments; however, the schematized presentation was of absolute importance when accurately shaping standing human figures. In addition, the absence of a mortise atop the lower thigh indicates that this leg was made as a stand-alone model. Size: 4.2" L x 2" W x 9.4" H (10.7 cm x 5.1 cm x 23.9 cm); 10.125" H (25.7 cm) on included custom stand.
A carved leg like this example may have served as a model for a larger sculpture, to teach apprentice sculptors how to replicate a master style, or to produce ushabti figures (small funerary statues for tombs). Though sculptors' models are typically difficult to date - with some being from the Amarna period of the 18th Dynasty when new forms of statuary came in - most known examples are from the Late Dynastic and Ptolemaic periods. The Egyptians were keen observers of fauna, with many different animals gracing their mythology, artwork, and hieroglyphs; however, anthropomorphic models were typically among the most challenging to carve accurately.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection, acquired in April 2016; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private Los Angeles, California, USA collection; ex-private Simonian collection, Switzerland, acquired before 1985
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#152907
- Condition: Repaired from three large pieces at ankle and middle of calf, with resurfacing and light overpainting along break lines. Minor nicks and pitting to thigh, knee, calf, ankle, and foot, with softening to some finer details, and light encrustations. Nice remaining detailing and form.
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