Egypt, Romano-Egyptian, ca. 1st century BCE to 1st century CE. A very large head of a bull - perhaps a reference to the sacred bull Apis - carved from a single piece of red sandstone, its visage quite realistically rendered with a furry coat, large almond-shaped eyes, a well-defined muzzle with delineated nostrils, and ears. So veristid - the animal's flesh virtually ripples with life and one can even see veins beneath his coat. The sculpture is made of solid stone and is skillfully carved in the round. Size: 10.25" L x 5" W x 9.875" H (26 cm x 12.7 cm x 25.1 cm); 11.5" H (29.2 cm) on included custom stand.

Apis was originally worshipped by Narmer, the ruler who unified Upper and Lower Egypt around 3000 BCE - the sacred bull is shown trampling the pharaoh's enemies on the Narmer palette that commemorates the unification. Three thousand years later, by the time of Roman control of Egypt, the worship continued. Though centered around the city of Memphis, the cult of Apis was so extensive in Egypt that the Greeks and Romans wrote about it repeatedly. The famous French archaeologist Mariette, excavating at the Serapeum of Saqqara, found the mummified remains of more than sixty bulls, some buried in their own separate tombs.

Provenance: private Texas, USA collection; ex-private European collection, 1930'a; ex-A. Nascu (great grandfather of owner), acquired in Greece on January 8, 1906 from Mr. A.T. Ganasoulis of Patra, Greece

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#141613

Missing horns. Losses and abrasions to peripheries and back of head. Still a powerful example with strong imagery that has withstood the tests of time.