Sculptor's model. Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, 380-200 BC.

Sculptor's model. Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, 380-200 BC.
Limestone.
Publications: listed in Sotheby's Antiquities and Islamic Art, New York, 23 June 1989. Lot 73.
Provenance: private collection, Iris Love, acquired circa 1981.
Iris Love (New York, 1922-2020), an archaeologist specialising in classical antiquity, is known for her discovery of the temple of Aphrodite at Knidos. She comes from the Guggenheim family on her mother's side.
Conservation: lower breakage; otherwise in excellent condition.
Measurements: 10.8 cm. long.
Sculptor's model of an Egyptian votive relief. Made of limestone, it dates from the end of the Ptolemaic period, 380-200 BC (30th Dynasty). It is characterised by the supreme delicacy and precision of the incisions in the relief: the feathers have been chiselled with remarkable naturalism. The bird, carved in bas-relief, represents a quail chick depicted in profile, walking towards the right. In the representation of motifs not associated with divinity (as in the case of birds unlinked to Horus), the Egyptians developed a striking realism, which contrasts with the schematism that prevailed in Pharaonic themes.