Lot 46
Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, ca. 332 to 30 BCE. A mold-formed pendant of a desert hare covered in pale blue-green glaze. The hare lays couchant atop an integral plinth with its forelegs extended in front of its streamlined body, its back legs tucked beneath its haunches, and a petite tail protruding off the verso. Its head is raised in attention with an enormous pair of furry ears swept back atop almost the entire body; a suspension hole is drilled laterally beneath the ears. Size: 0.84" L x 0.29" W x 0.44" H (2.1 cm x 0.7 cm x 1.1 cm); 1.87" H (4.7 cm) on included custom stand.
The desert hare was a fascinating creature within the Egyptian ecosystem. According to Egyptologist Dorothea Arnold, "Among the small animals of the Egyptian desert is the desert hare, Lepus capensis. In ancient times it was not considered worthy prey for princely hunters, and in representations it appears only occasionally among the spoils of the hunt. In many hunting scenes, however, it can be found in the background as part of the landscape. The tomb relief of Ra-m-kaj, for example, includes a desert hare in much the same position as the one that forms this amulet. It crouches low to the ground, ears flattened, intent on eluding the hunter's notice. The desert hare's sand-colored fur . . . serves it well as camouflage. If detected, however, the hare uses its great speed to help it escape. The hare's amuletic role is not known for certain. Ancient Greek and Roman authors believed that hares could sleep with their eyes open and reproduce without copulation. If these were also Egyptian beliefs, the hare might have represented extreme vigilance or the primeval deity's self-creating power." (Arnold, Dorothea. "An Egyptian Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1995, Vol. LII, no. 4, p. 23)
Exhibited in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 1998 to 2023, reference number EL01.102.1998.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 74.51.4505
Provenance: Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA; ex-collection of Philip Mitry, noted antiquarian, 1930 to 1953, then imported into the United States; Exhibited in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 1998 to 2023, reference number EL01.102.1998
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#182211
- Condition: Losses to face as shown. Abrasions, fading to glaze pigment, and light pitting and earthen deposits, otherwise in great condition. Nice preservation to overall form of body and ears. Amulet adhered to display stand and cannot be removed.
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