Francesca Hickin
Head of Department
Lot 193
An Egyptian glazed composition vessel fragment with a male figure
28 November 2019, 10:30 GMT
London, New Bond Street£1,800 - £2,200
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Anna Marston
Associate Specialist
An Egyptian glazed composition vessel fragment with a male figure
Ptolemaic Period, circa 4th-3rd Century B.C.
Preserving the upper torso of a young male, possibly a Ptolemaic king, his head turned sharply to the right and his right arm held across his chest, wearing a diadem in his hair, and a chlamys across his back, the drapery captured in a moment of upward motion to his left, details in black, 7.7cm high
Ptolemaic Period, circa 4th-3rd Century B.C.
Preserving the upper torso of a young male, possibly a Ptolemaic king, his head turned sharply to the right and his right arm held across his chest, wearing a diadem in his hair, and a chlamys across his back, the drapery captured in a moment of upward motion to his left, details in black, 7.7cm high
Footnotes
Provenance:
Private collection, London, acquired prior to 1986.
For a similar fragment, probably depicting Ptolemy IV, see the British Museum, London, acc. no. 2001,0429.1. The diadem shown here suggests that the figure is royal, a Ptolemaic prince or king. There are examples of faience oinochoai showing Ptolemaic queens offering libations, known as 'Queen's vases', including one with an inscription naming Berenike II in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, acc. no. 96.AI.58. There are no known complete vessels depicting male royals, making this an extremely rare fragment.