Fragment of a finely carved bas-relief of Pharaoh... Lot 6

Fragment of a finely carved bas-relief of Pharaoh Thutmose III. Egypt, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty. Limestone. Conservation: slight wear and tear due to age. Provenance: acquired in a private collection in New York in 1960, and later in a private Spanish collection A.B. before 1985. Measurements: 15 x 12 x 2,5 cm. Fragment of Egyptian relief carved with fine incision in limestone. It depicts a figure whose clothing and attributes identify him as Thutmose III. After a more archaic phase, in which the reliefs were a simple drawing engraved with deep incision on the stone, came a more elaborate phase, in which the figure is delicately modelled and does not protrude from the surface of the stone. In a third phase, the figure is finely modelled and rises slightly above the background, which has been lowered around it. The relief fragment shown here belongs to this third period. Bas-relief was much more common than high relief in Egyptian relief. Usually, the lower limbs and feet were depicted in profile and the shoulders from the front. The size of the figures corresponds to the social rank and importance of the personage: huge for the Pharaoh, the smallest for slaves, followed by artisans, peasants and soldiers. As for the subject matter, they could be genre scenes and customs that accompanied the tombs of the deceased, showing the chores of daily life.