**First Time At Auction**

Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate to Late Dynastic Period, 21st to 31st Dynasty, ca. 1070 to 332 BCE. A mold-formed and turquoise-glazed faience figure of the goddess Mut in a striding pose with left leg extended. Both of her arms are held neatly against her sides while the lappets of her wig are draped atop her breasts. Her feminine visage is comprised of almond eyes, a broad nose, and full lips, with frontal uraeus on her wig, and a Pschent crown on top signifying her dominion over Upper and Lower Egypt. Size: 0.49" L x 0.76" W x 2.97" H (1.2 cm x 1.9 cm x 7.5 cm)

According to author Manfred Lurker, "The figure of the Theban goddess Mut can only be traced back to the Middle Kingdom but she might well have been worshipped before. She was usually represented as a woman with a vulture skin on her head, often surmounted by the Upper Egyptian crown which was certainly an attribute deriving from the days of Theban Hegemony. She was regarded as the wife of Amun and their son was Khons. When Amun was exalted to the position of sun-god, Mut became the eye of Re and because the eye of the sun was manifested above all in leonine goddesses, Mut received the form of a lioness. In the Late New Kingdom Mut assumed the position of a primeval deity and was then seen as the 'mother of the sun in whom he rises'." (Lurker, Manfred. "The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Dictionary." Thames & Hudson, London, 1986, pp. 82-83)

Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession numbers 26.7.1427 and 74.51.4479.

Provenance: Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired before 2004

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#182309

Losses to top of crown and bottoms of each leg as shown. Light fading to glaze pigment, otherwise in great condition.