Egypt
26th Dynasty, 664 to 525 BC
Limestone
Height 17 1/4" (43.8 cm); width 16" (40.6 cm)
Provenance: Ancient Art International, Middleboro, Massachusetts, 1992, inventory #5581; Stephen Joel Albert (1941 to 1992); Kathryn Albert, New Jersey
The 26th Dynasty, known as the Saite period, marked a resurgence of native Egyptian rule following the expulsion of the Assyrians and was characterized by a deliberate revival of earlier Egyptian artistic and religious conventions. Artists and workshops of this period looked consciously to Old and Middle Kingdom models, producing work of formal clarity and technical control that reflected a broader cultural reassertion of Egyptian identity. This revival continued into the Ptolemaic period following the conquests of Alexander the Great in 332 BC.
This limestone fragment is likely from an anthropoid sarcophagus, the type of coffin designed in human form that was standard in elite funerary practice during the Late Period. The large eyes and ears rendered on the mask face carry specific funerary significance, symbolizing the vigilance and perception required by the deceased in their passage through the spiritual realm. The encrustation and weathering on the surface are consistent with the documented age of the piece.
Anthropoid sarcophagi of the 26th Dynasty were produced for members of the elite and priestly classes, their surfaces carved with protective deities, funerary texts, and idealized portrait features designed to facilitate the deceased's identification with Osiris in the afterlife. Fragments of this scale and quality from documented collections represent a category of Late Period Egyptian material that has been collected since the 19th century and is well represented in major museum holdings. The inventory number from Ancient Art International and the recorded Albert family provenance provide a clear documented chain of ownership from 1992 to the present.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Egypt
26th Dynasty, 664 to 525 BC
Limestone
Height 17 1/4" (43.8 cm); width 16" (40.6 cm)
Provenance: Ancient Art International, Middleboro, Massachusetts, 1992, inventory #5581; Stephen Joel Albert (1941 to 1992); Kathryn Albert, New Jersey
The 26th Dynasty, known as the Saite period, marked a resurgence of native Egyptian rule following the expulsion of the Assyrians and was characterized by a deliberate revival of earlier Egyptian artistic and religious conventions. Artists and workshops of this period looked consciously to Old and Middle Kingdom models, producing work of formal clarity and technical control that reflected a broader cultural reassertion of Egyptian identity. This revival continued into the Ptolemaic period following the conquests of Alexander the Great in 332 BC.
This limestone fragment is likely from an anthropoid sarcophagus, the type of coffin designed in human form that was standard in elite funerary practice during the Late Period. The large eyes and ears rendered on the mask face carry specific funerary significance, symbolizing the vigilance and perception required by the deceased in their passage through the spiritual realm. The encrustation and weathering on the surface are consistent with the documented age of the piece.
Anthropoid sarcophagi of the 26th Dynasty were produced for members of the elite and priestly classes, their surfaces carved with protective deities, funerary texts, and idealized portrait features designed to facilitate the deceased's identification with Osiris in the afterlife. Fragments of this scale and quality from documented collections represent a category of Late Period Egyptian material that has been collected since the 19th century and is well represented in major museum holdings. The inventory number from Ancient Art International and the recorded Albert family provenance provide a clear documented chain of ownership from 1992 to the present.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
