Lot 56
Ancient Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, ca. 332 to 30 BCE. A mold-formed faience figure depicting Nefertum (also Nefertem), the god of perfumes, aromatics, and the first sunlight of each day. Nefertum dons a pleated royal kilt around his waist, with a braided beard and striated tripartite wig with accompanying frontal uraeus adorning his slender head. An ornate, lotus-form headdress stands atop the wig, with menets flanking either lateral side and surmounted by streaked plumes. The deity is shown striding atop a stylized recumbent leonine figure, perhaps representing his mother Sekhmet. Size: 1.8" L x 1" W x 5.4" H (4.6 cm x 2.5 cm x 13.7 cm)
The name "Nefertum" literally translates to "one who does not close," indicative of the ever-blooming lotus flower constituting his crown. It is fitting, then, that Nefertum is primarily associated with fine-smelling perfumes and other beauty-enhancing substances, perhaps as an allegorical reference to the sweet scent emitted by a blossoming lotus flower.
Interestingly, both the lotus flower and the demiurge Ptah are symbolically associated with the cycle of life, death, resurrection, and rebirth. This integral relationship is important with regards to Nefertum wearing a lotus flower crown, and posits a two-fold symbolic interpretation: that Nefertum himself as a deity will in essence never die; and that the cycle of life and death itself is an unceasing process (hence, "one who does not close").
Cf. The Brooklyn Museum, accession number 71.142
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report will accompany the item upon purchase.
Provenance: private Punta Gorda, Florida, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s
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#187792
- Condition: Professionally repaired from a few pieces, with visible adhesive residue along break lines. Minor pitting, softening to some finer details, and fading to glaze in scattered areas, otherwise in nice condition. Great form and size. TL drill holes beneath base and near top of verso.
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