An Egyptian basalt bust of an official and priest for Wedja-Hoor-mehnet
Late Period, 26th Dynasty, circa 664-525 B.C.
Wearing a bag-wig tucked behind prominent ears, the face with almond-shaped eyes and slightly extended cosmetic lines, with pronounced collarbone; the dorsal pillar with two columns of hieroglyphic text, reading; 1st column: 'local [god] for the Controller of the Estates of Neith, Elder of the Palace, god's servant Wedja-Hoor-mehnet, son of the Controller of the Estates of Neith'; 2nd column: 'Son of the Controller of the Estates of Neith, Elder of the Palace, god's servant, Djed-Hapy-iuf-ankh, son of Ta-sherit (?)-pa-di-Tj [eb?] 18.4cm high
Footnotes:
Provenance:
Private Collection, Austria.
Anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 13 December 1988, lot 285, consigned from the above.
With Royal Athena Galleries New York.
Anonymous sale, Sotheby's, London, 11 December 1992, lot 142.
Acquired by the present owner in 2017.

Published:
Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, Art of the Ancient World, May 1991, no.86.

The characteristics of both the sculpture and the inscription suggest this statue dates to the Late Dynastic Period. The title of Wedja-Hor-mehmet held by the above official, contains the name of the goddess Neith, whose main cult centre was in Sais in the Delta, which was the most important political centre in the Late Period. Such dorsal pillar inscriptions, which were not always intended to be seen in the round, were an act of faith, and were intended to be read by the deity to ensure the survival of the official represented.

For a similar figure in black basalt of Ankh-wennufer with a Naos cf. Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period, 700 B.C.- AD 100, The Brooklyn Museum 1961, p.52, figs 100-102, where it is noted that stylistically the strong collar bones suggest a date in the reign of Psamtik I.