David Aaron Ltd

A large bronze plaque, possibly from a belt clasp, featuring a central motif of a stylised stag turning its head away towards its rump. The stag’s neck and back are curved into an S-...

An over-life-sized marble head depicting the Greek god Apollo. He can be identified through his distinctive hairstyle, with the hair pulled forwards from the crown of the head to par...

A worked gold bracelet crafted from a single rectangular shape of metal, curved into the shape of a wide penannular bangle. The bracelet has a convex outer surface and concave inner ...

A bronze belt plaque depicting a highly stylised stag. Within a rectangular border decorated with a braided pattern and marked at each corner by a round boss, a heavily abstracted st...

A figure of a striding man carved from a rich, red-coloured wood. The slender figure stands with left foot in front of the right on a black rectangular base, and each of the separately carved arms held straight at his sides. Both hands are closed in fists, with thumbs extended downwards. The torso slopes into a narrow waist, and broadens upwards to the rounded shoulders. The belly button is deeply incised, while both nipples were inlaid and painted originally (only one remains intact). The partially pleated fabric of the kilt knotted below the abdomen is carved with delicate details. Each of the facial features are picked out in carved and painted lines; the broad nose and mouth are carved in relief, while the slightly recessed eyes are painted with white sclera and black outlines and pupils, and framed by long, black-painted eyebrows. The close-cropped hair is also painted a deep black. Wooden statues and statuettes have been found in tombs spanning the entire history of ancient Egypt, even despite wood’s tendency to degrade over time. These wooden models represent a range of figures and animals, singly and in groups, often engaged in a range of activities from ‘daily life’. It is believed that these models were designed to populate the tomb with workers to ensure that the tomb owner would receive material comforts in the afterlife. Despite the skill that went into their production and the intricate details represented, the majority of these statuettes were hidden within the enclosed chambers of underground tombs, only visible to visitors through narrow viewing slits. Later examples have also been found in temple contexts, both freestanding royal statues and smaller votive figures placed in wooden shrines. The native trees of Egypt – acacia, tamarisk, date palm, plane tree, and sycamore fig – did not provide the best wood for carving. Instead, better-quality timber had to be imported from the surrounding countries at great cost: cedar, cypress, spruce, pine, yew, and birch were imported from Syria and Lebanon, ebony from Sudan and Ethiopia. These imported woods, particularly yew and cedar, were the most expensive and, therefore, the most prestigious to work in. Wood was a good material for representing fiddly details, like limbs held away from the body, extended legs, and small hands holding smaller objects – it was soft enough to carve without huge difficulty, but strong enough to support fragile extensions. Often, as in this case, a figure’s arms were crafted separately and attached to the torso with a simple but strong mortise and tenon joint. Wooden models were produced from as early as the Pre-Dynastic Period (for example, the gilded figures from Eastern Kom, Tell el-Farkha). The first wooden models of single figures from the Dynastic Period are dated to the end of the 5th Dynasty, and they increasingly appeared in the tombs of elite figures following the reign of Pepi II Neferkare (r. c. 2278-c. 2214 BC). From the 6th Dynasty onwards, wooden statues and statuettes supplanted limestone as the primary material used for tomb models. Many wooden tomb figures survive from the Old Kingdom, representing people engaged in a range of ‘daily life’ activities, such as farming, food preparation, brewing, animal butchering, and entertainment. Wooden model boats were also very popular. Condition  In good and stable condition, the proper left arm now reattached via a dowel. Weathering to the proper left side of the face as visible in the illustration. The hair on the crown of the head shows remnants of adhesive, perhaps from reattachment. Losses to the proper left foot and ankle. Discolouration, surface wear and encrustation throughout as commensurate with age. A modern metal belt looped around the abdomen. Provenance   With Dikran Khan Kelekian (1867-1951), New York, before 1951, accompanied by old photograph and inventory, no. 6473. In the Private Collection of Richard “Max” Miller...

A large piece from a woven linen funerary shroud decorated with a polychrome painting of a female figure, most likely depicting Nut or Hathor. The figure is depicted head-on, with la...

The upper part of the lid for a wooden inner coffin, carved into the form of a male head and upper chest. The head sports a large tripartite wig painted with gold and blue stripes th...

A bust from a larger statue carved from black granodiorite, depicting the head and upper torso of an ancient Egyptian man. The man wears a bag wig, identifying him as an official of ...

An idealised head of the Roman goddess Venus carved from cream marble. The head is inclined slightly to the true left, suggesting a sense of supple movement that contributes to the sensuality suggested by the heavy-lidded almond shaped eyes and parted lips. The upper row of teeth are visible below the upper lip, which exhibits a pronounced cupid’s bow. The skin of the forehead and cheeks is smooth, rounded and finely carved to suggest great softness. The head is parted in loose waves above the centre of the face, falling gently down to partially cover the ears, and tied at the nape to flow in thick locks over the back of the neck. Venus was the Roman goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation – the Roman variant of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Venus was central to many religious festivals, and was revered in Roman religion under numerous cult titles. Some believed her to be a daughter of Jupiter, but according to Hesiod’s Theogony, Venus was created, or ‘born’, of the sea foam after the blood of Uranus fell into the water. This latter explanation appears to be the more popular theory due to the countless artworks depicting Venus rising from the sea...

A canopic jar of tapering form carved from cream-coloured calcite alabaster, with a rounded rim leading to the wooden lid in the image of a jackal’s head. The front of the jar is inc...

A standing figure of the ram-headed god Heryshaf, in traditional walking pose, with arms held straight by its sides, and the proper left foot in front of the right. The god wears a c...

A blue faience amulet depicting the god Ptah-Patek. Ptah-Patek is represented as a nude bow-legged dwarf with a pronounced pot belly and an overly large, bald head. The god stands wi...