Statuette of a Glass and Bronze Ibis

Culture: Egyptian

Period: Ptolemaic period, 332-30 B.C.

Material: Glass, Bronze

Dimensions: 20 cm x 11,8 cm

Price: Sold

Ref: 1366

Provenance: Old French private collection Ray Pailhalde, end of 19th century. Accompanied by a French antiquites passport.

Condition: Bronze surface slightly rough, the statuette intact and of wonderful quality.

Description: Rare statuette of a resting ibis with a body made of opaque blue glass that is supposed to imitate lapis lazuli. The legs as well as the neck and head are made of bronze. The ibis head has a curved neck and a long, curved beak. The eyes were probably once placed in dark glass paste in the recess. The glass body with accentuated, tight wings. The legs are bent, three toes forward, the inner toe set back. At the bottom of the leg joint and under the claws tenons for mounting on the ancient base. The ibis is considered to be one of the figures of the moon god Thoth. During festivals and processions, the priests responsible for the cult, carried statuettes like this one from the temple of Thoth in Hermopolis Magna to the nearby necropolis of Tuna el-Gebel, where they were housed in underground passages. The custom of making votive statues of sacred animals was extremely popular in the late period. Statuettes like this one were also found in the tombs of scribes. Mounted.