Lot 21
Ancient Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. A mold-formed Apis bull amulet of petite size that is presented in a striding pose, its left foreleg advancing beneath a stocky torso. The massive quadruped features a slightly raised neck hump as well as a raised head adorned with a sun disc between a pair of curving horns. Covered in light green glaze, this is a lovely artifact from ancient Egypt! Size: 0.95" L x 0.34" W x 0.81" H (2.4 cm x 0.9 cm x 2.1 cm)
Apis was originally worshipped by Narmer, the ruler who unified Upper and Lower Egypt around 3000 BCE - the sacred bull is shown trampling the pharaoh's enemies on the Narmer palette that commemorates the unification. Three thousand years later, by the time of Roman control of Egypt, the worship continued. Though centered around the city of Memphis, the cult of Apis was so extensive in Egypt that the Greeks and Romans wrote about it repeatedly. The famous French archaeologist Mariette, excavating at the Serapeum of Saqqara, found the mummified remains of more than sixty bulls, some buried in their own separate tombs.
Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA, purchased April 16, 1978; ex-Superior Galleries, Los Angeles, California, USA, purchased in 1975; ex-Philip Mitry, with Anglo-American Bookstore, Cairo, 1940s, and imported to USA circa 1952; Exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) from 1986 to 1991; in the University of Arizona Museum of Art, October 1993 to December 1993; and in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 1996 to 2023, reference number EL01.155.1996; Published in "Temple, Tomb, and Dwelling", fig. 66a
Published in Dr. Gerry D. Scott III. "Temple, Tomb and Dwelling: Egyptian Antiquities from the Harer Family Trust Collection." University of California Press, 1992, pp. 110-111, fig. 66a
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession numbers 17.194.2222 and 44.4.27
Provenance: Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA, purchased December 14, 2001; ex-Fragments of Time; ex-private Armustead collection, purchased in 1958; ex-private Kleman collection; Exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) from 1986 to 1991; in the University of Arizona Museum of Art, October 1993 to December 1993; and in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 1996 to 2023, reference number EL01.155.1996; Published in "Temple, Tomb, and Dwelling", fig. 66a
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#182216
- Condition: Loss to upper half of sun disc as shown. Minor abrasions and pitting, with light earthen deposits, otherwise in great condition. Nice preservation to bovine form.
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