Lot 26
LARGE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ATEF CROWN FEATHER
EGYPT, LATE PERIOD, 664 - 332 B.C.
Auction: 8 June 2022 at 14:00 BST
Description
cast bronze, in the form of an ostrich feather, recessed with a series of parallel perforations throughout, a tang to the side for attachment to the crown of the god, remnants of gold leaf, raised on a bespoke mount
Dimensions
32.2cm tall
Footnote
Provenance: Seward Kennedy Collection, London, acquired 1960s
Note: This large feather would have once adorned a monumental bronze sculpture of the god Osiris, forming the right hand of the two feathers from his atef crown. Originally coated in gold leaf, its eternal, unchanging nature and solar glow intended to reflect the divine.
The feather now stands alone as a striking work of sculpture in its own right. Its composed, stylised form has a beautiful simplicity and is a fine example of the power of Egyptian art.