Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. A beautiful relief panel fragment carved from beige-hued sandstone featuring Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the dead and the processes of embalming and mummification. Anubis presents in a right-facing pose with his left arm outstretched to the edge of the panel and his right forearm and hand peeking out along the bottom, perhaps holding an implement used during the preparation of the dead. His inverted triangular body tapers dramatically towards a narrow waist, and a semicircular broad collar is visible beneath vertically striated headdress lappets. His quintessential canine-like face exhibits a single ovoid eye, a narrow snout with an incised mouth, and a pair of pointed ears projecting upwards. This panel was part of a larger relief scene, perhaps bearing images of other deities and even pharaohs. Size: 7.5" W x 10.875" H (19 cm x 27.6 cm); 12.625" H (32.1 cm) on included custom stand.

Anubis, based on the real animal called the African golden jackal, is a god associated with mummification and the afterlife and is usually depicted as either a canine or a man with a canine head. Like many Egyptian deities, the role of Anubis changed over time. During the First Dynasty, he was a protector of graves and an embalmer. In the Middle Kingdom period, Osiris claimed Anubis' role as lord of the underworld, but Anubis continued to weigh the hearts of the dead against a feather of truth to determine if they were deserving of eternal life.

Provenance: private Corpus Christi, Texas, USA estate collection, acquired 1960s to 1970s

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#165331

This is a fragment of a larger relief panel. Losses to several peripheral areas, middle of right arm, and lower body of Anubis as shown. Softening to some finer details, with light encrustations within scattered recessed areas. Great preservation to relief details on obverse. Drilled through bottom for mounting and display purposes. Old inventory labels on verso and bottom of display stand.