By Carter B. Horsley No collection of antiquities is complete without a fine Egyptian work of art and what could be better than a very handsome head of Neb-maat-re Amenhotep III, the son of Tuthmosis IV and father of Akhenaten. Amenhotep III was the king of Egypt in the 18th Dynasty, and Lot 30, shown above, is a fine quartzite head of him that is 9 inches tall showing him wearing a royal nemes-headcloth without the typical uraeus in front, and a long braided beard instead of the striated ceremonial beard that the catalogue notes is usually worn by kings. "Both features," the catalogue entry continued, "emphasis his deified status.The eyes are carved in the sfumato style, with the lower eyelids shown in a continuous plane with the cheek. This rare treatment of the eyes occurs for the first time in sculpture during his reign..Whether the details of the eyes were completed in paint is not known. In addition they are carved as though the king gazes downward. This feature is understandably common in Amenhotep III's colossal quartzite statues, where the eyes are thus more visible to the viewer below, but is more difficult to explain on smaller-scale images." His reign is notable, the catalogue noted, "for the exceptional beauty and originality of its art and architecture. Perhaps the most remarkable to the modern world are the two colossal seated quartzite statues of the King at Thebes, known since Classical Greek times as the Colossus of Memnon and its companion." The work was consigned by antiquarian Albert Eid in 1950 to Leonard Epstein, who purchased it three years later when it s was tentatively identified as Tutankhamun (Akenaten's successor and probably Amenhotep III's grandson). Mr. Epstein subsequently donated many of the works he acquired from Mr. Eid to various museums including the University Gallery at the University of Delaware and the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The auction catalogue remarks that in 1972 Sotheby's, Parke-Bernet New York sold a blue faience sphinx of Amenhotep III, formerly in the collection of Howard Carter and now in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the last time such a significant and un-altered representation of this monarch has appeared at auction. The present head appears to join the fragmentary body of the sphinx in the Thalassic Collection." The lot, which is the catalogue's cover illustration, has an "estimate on request." Although its nose is damaged the head is in quite good condition and the back of the headdress is very beautiful. It sold for $482,500 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article. A South American private collection has consigned a large bronze Egyptian cat, Lot 43, that had been in the owner's family from before circa 1950. The 16 7/8-inch-high figure dates from the 20th/26th Dynasty, 1190-525 B.C., and the catalogue notes that larger bronze sculptures of cats, such as this, tend to have "minimal if any engraved detail, lacking the ornaments of the smaller examples." This lot has an ambitious estimate of $100,000 to $150,000 as it appears to be missing part of its right front paw and part of its tail and is stylistically not as sophisticated as many other Egyptian statues of cats. It sold for $284,500.
Lot 219 is a very good group of seven faience Egyptian amulets, Late Period 716-30 B.C., that was originally consigned to a Sotheby's auction a year ago but was withdrawn. It has a very modest estimate of $2,000 to $3,000. It sold for $10,158. Lot 56, marble figure of a goddess, Cycladic, early bronze Age II, circa 2600-2500 B.C., is a nice work that has been consigned from the Collection of Samuel and Luella Maslon, which has consigned many of the finest works to be auctioned this season in several categories. The 6 9/16-inch-high figure has a modest estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. It failed to sell as did almost a third of the offered lots in this auction.
Lot 121 is a very fine marble bust of a man, Roman Imperial, reign of Trajan Decius, 32 1/2 inches high, A.D. 249-251. The catalogue notes that it may be a portrait of the Emperor. The way his toga is draped across his chest is particularly dramatic and interesting. The lot has a modest estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It failed to sell.
A fine companion piece for Lot 121 is Lot 120, a marble portait of a woman, Roman Imperial, Hadrianic, A.D. 117-138. The 17-inch-high bust has a modest estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It sold for $77,675.
Lot 94, is an impressive bronze figure of a youth, Roman Imperial, circa 1st Century A.D., that is 13 7/8 inches high. The figure is missing his right arm but is quite large and very finely sculpted. It has a somewhat ambitious estimate of $180,000 to $220,000. It failed to sell.
A very strong early work is Lot 10, a limestone altar, 11 inches long, in the form of a ram that comes from the West Caspian region and is estimated to date circa 1200 to 800 B.C. The lot has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. It sold for $20,315.
Lot 15 is a very fine small bronze sculpture of a stag. The Parthian figure is 4 3/4 inches long and is dated 2nd to 3rd Century A.D. It has a modest estimate of $5,000 to $8,000. It failed to sell.
Another striking figure from about the same time is Lot 12, a Syrian basalt statue of a bear, circa 1st/2nd Century A.D. The 27 3/4-inch-high statue has a modest estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 21 is a beautiful Ilkhand luster-painted tile, Natanz, dedicated March-April 1308. The 14 7/8-by-14 3/16-inch tile has an estimate of $30,000 to $40,000 and is part of a larger frieze of which about 20 other tiles are known including one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The frieze, the catalogue noted, originally decorated the tomb of the sufi shaykh Abd al-Samad at Natanz. It sold for $32,862.
Lot 128, a marble cinerary urn, Roman Imperial, 1st half of the 1st Century A.D., had a high estimate of $90,000 and sold for $262,500. The 14 1/4-by-21 1/4-by-16 1/8-inch burn was missing much of one of its four sides all of which were covered with a very elaborate design of shields and armor and helmets.