Egypt, probably late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Periods, ca. 1290 to 30 BCE. This is a high-relief plaster sculptor’s model of a falcon or other bird of prey. The falcon is perched at rest with his tail feathers crossed; the details of his tail have been left unfinished. This piece may have served as a model for a larger sculpture, to teach new sculptors how to replicate a master style, or to produce shabtis (small funerary statues for tombs). These pieces are difficult to date; some are from the Amarna period, when new forms of statuary came in, but most are from the late Dynastic and Ptolemaic periods. The Egyptians were keen observers of fauna and many different animals grace their mythology, artwork, and heiroglyphics. There are over seventy species of birds represented in Egyptian artwork and 63 heiroglyphs that incorporate birds. Falcons were the most commonly represented birds in ancient Egypt; for example, at the Temple of Edfu, there are magnificent statues of the god Horus in his falcon form. Similar pieces to this model are held in the British Museum, the Australian Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and many other institutions. Size: 12-3/4“H x 4-3/4“W x 3-1/2“L (32 cm x 12 cm x 9 cm).

Provenance: Ex-private Simonian collection, Switzerland, before 1985.

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#110507

Minor chipping and some dirt staining, but the artwork is very clear.