Bidspirit auction | EGYPTIAN LIMESTONE SLAB FRAGMENT WITH

EGYPTIAN LIMESTONE SLAB FRAGMENT WITH RELIEF OF NOBLEMAN - Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty, 2345-2181 BC) This relief fragment shows part of the chest and the head of the figure of a nobleman in the act of fishing with the harpoon, of which only a portion of the rod is clearly visible, which crosses diagonally the figure's chest. The facial features, although idealized, are very expressive: the eyes are large, the nose is long and straight, the mouth is set in a slight smile, the chin is adorned with a short beard. The face is framed by a short wig meticulously carved with rows of curls which is surrounded by a diadem with a clasp in the shape of a double lotus flower, from which two long side bands emerge. The figure's neck is adorned with the usekh collar. Above the head there is a horizontal line with some hieroglyphics of a dedicatory inscription. This relief, although fragmentary, shows a high artistic quality and certainly comes from a scene of fish spearing in the swamps of the Nile carved on a wall of the chapel of the tomb of a high-rank official who probably lived during the VIth Dinasty. ?[The honoured ] by the (great) god, Hesu(?)? Size: 650mm x 320mm; Weight: 21,318 kg. Provenance: Private London collection; previously French art market 1970s/1980. For similar see: W. Stevenson Smith, Old Kingdom Sculpture, Relief from Door-Jamb of Nefer, Boston,