Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate to Late Dynastic Period, ca. 1070 to 332 BCE. A large limestone section from a lintel or false door, consisting of four stepped panels, each decorated with incised hieroglyph-style artwork. These hieroglyphs include multiple different birds, plants, sun discs, abstract symbols, and, at the bottom of the two middle panels, two profile standing figures that appear to be women. This panel was probably once brightly painted and would have graced the wall or doorway of a temple, palace, or public building. Size: 8" W x 11.6" H (20.3 cm x 29.5 cm); 13" H (33 cm) on included custom stand.

Egyptian lintels and doorways were often heavily decorated with iconography that reinforced the religious and ruling ideals of elites in Egyptian society. For example, many of these had their hieroglyphs deliberately destroyed when they referred to a past ruler who the current ruler wanted to refute; see for example, the lintel at the University of Pennsylvania Museum that had the cartouches of Queen Hatsheput defaced: https://www.penn.museum/blog/collection/125th-anniversary-object-of-the-day/egyptian-lintel-object-of-the-day/

Provenance: private St. Louis, Missouri, USA collection; ex Atlanta, Georgia, USA collection, acquired before 1990

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#128938

Repaired from two pieces. Piece is a fragment, with losses to edges as shown. Very nice preservation of motifs.