Ancient Egyptian Bronze Sphinx of the god Amun. Late Period, 664 - 332 BC. 5 cm length.

Sphinx of the god Amun.

Ancient Egypt, Late Period, 664 - 332 BC.

Bronze.

5 cm length.

CONDITION: Good condition, intact.

PROVENANCE: Private collection, Paris, France. Acquired before the 1970's.

DESCRIPTION:

In Egypt, the best known sphinx is the one found at Giza, depicted as a reclining lion with a human head, in this case possibly that of Pharaoh Chephren. This iconic image was widely reproduced in most temples, for in front of the entrance pylons to the sanctuary, a long avenue flanked by sphinxes on either side was situated. Between the enclosure of the temple of Amun at Karnak and that of Amun at Luxor, there is a processional avenue several kilometres long, flanked by hundreds of sphinxes with human and ram heads.

This work is an example of the popularity of this image, which, on a small scale, could well be an amulet or a figure on a domestic altar. Modelled using the lost-wax technique, the sphinx was sculpted with a ram's face, a reference to the god Amun, as this animal was one of his sacred representations.

Sphinxes were devised by the ancient Egyptians and formed an essential part of their complex mythology. They are also culturally relevant in Ancient Greek mythology, although with very different meanings and ideas. The ancient Egyptians called it "Sheps-anj", meaning "living image" or "living statue". Herodotus called it the "Androesphinx", as it had a male face, unlike the Greek one, which was female and winged. The Egyptians also made them with the heads of two of the most important sacred animals: rams, associated with Amon-ra cryosphinxes, and falcons, known as hieracosphinxes.

Symbol of royalty, they represented the strength and power of the lion, associated with the power of the pharaoh. They also represent life after death, which is why they appear in many tombs in relief. The avenues of sphinxes mentioned above were produced from the New Kingdom onwards, when the god Amun was the most important god in Egypt, hence most of them were depicted with the head of a ram. At the same time, smaller sphinxes were made both for temples, donated by private individuals as offerings to please the god, and for cult chapels and private tombs, and it is possible that the present example comes from one of these two contexts.

Apart from the ram-headed sphinxes, there are further variations according to the cultural trends of the different historical periods - both artistic and rulers. Some are known with a female appearance, the sphinx of Hetepheres II being the oldest known. The one preserved in the Barracco Museum in Rome, made of black granite and attributed to Hatshepsut, and another preserved in the Cairo Museum of the same queen, would be the image of the first queen-pharaoh to be represented in this form. Other queens whose faces can be seen on sphinxes were Mutnedyemet and Nefertiti.

This piece was made using the lost-wax technique, a sculptural procedure in which a mould is first made from a prototype, traditionally carved in beeswax. The preliminary model is surrounded by a thick layer of soft material that solidifies, usually clay; once hardened, it is placed inside a furnace, which melts the wax figure, which comes out through specially created holes, and in its place molten metal is injected to take the exact shape of the model. To remove the final piece, the mould must be removed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: WILKINSON, H. R. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. London. 2003.






Notes:
- The piece includes authenticity certificate.
- The piece includes Spanish Export License.
- The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.
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