Monumental Limestone Statue of a Mantle Baboon

Culture: Egyptian

Period: New Kingdom, 18th or 19th dynasty, 1540-1186 B.C.

Material: Limestone

Dimensions: 39.4 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 1322

Provenance: Private collection Paris prior to 1980. Sotheby’s auction New York on 12 July 2001, lot 189. Thence Rupert Wace London. Last in the collection of Claudia Kruber, Florence, Italy. Accompanied by an Italian antiquities passport.

Condition: A very minor chip on the cape, but overall beautifully preserved.

Description: Published, monumental statue of a mantle baboon crouching on its plinth. The front paws are supported on the knees and looking out from the cape. The head with a long snout, a sly smile and large, round eyes under thick lids. His long phallus is prominently placed in the middle between the legs. The long tail swung forward around the body to the right foot. With beautiful color remains. Published in: Rupert Wace "Pharaoh’s Creatures: Animals from Ancient Egypt", page 10, July 2004. The baboon is one of the characters of the moon god Thoth, who is also considered the god of knowledge and writing.