Ancient Egypt, Late Period, ca. 600 to 332 BCE. This is a small, hard, grey stone representation of the Pschent, the double crown worn by rulers of Egypt, also known as the sekhemti, the Two Powerful Ones. Size: 3" L x 2.45" W x 5.45" H (7.6 cm x 6.2 cm x 13.8 cm)

It combines the Red Deshret Crown of Lower Egypt and the White Hedget Crown of Upper Egypt under one ruler. It bears a small bronze cobra, the uraeus, with incised details on its body, but there is no vulture head or second cobra, which would give us a better indication of the age of this piece. We know about the Pschent from the Palermo Stone, a year-by-year record of Egyptian kings compiled in the Fifth Dynasty, giving us evidence that the Pschent has existed since the middle of the First Dynasty. This particular example of the very ancient symbol - an enduring piece of iconography in ancient Egypt - was probably placed atop a statue, perhaps one of a god like Horus, who was often depicted wearing this crown.

Provenance: Ex-French collection, purchased in the late 1980s.

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#119785

Small chips to and around the base; cobra has dark patina but details are clear.