EGYPTIAN LIMESTONE RELIEF DEPICTING A SACRED BULL

EGYPTIAN LIMESTONE RELIEF DEPICTING A SACRED BULL
New Kingdom, likely Ramesside Period, circa 1292–1075 B.C.. A carved in sunk relief on a finely dressed limestone slab, the fragment preserves the head of a sacred bull, possibly a representation of the Apis bull depicted in right-facing profile. The animal’s eye is meticulously incised with extended cosmetic lines, the snout gently tapering, and the features rendered with expressive clarity. The prominent forward-curving horn and the ribbed ceremonial harness across the chest confirm its identity as a divinely sanctioned creature. The stone retains excellent legibility of line, with minor weathering and losses to the upper and left edges, consistent with excavation and prolonged burial. For similar see: P. Giovecchi, D. Picchi, 2015, Egitto, splendore millenario, lacollezione di Leiden a Bologna, V.39, p. 276. Size: 250mm x 155mm; Weight: 3.28kg Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old Canadian collection of F. N., Ontario, formed in the 1980s. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter. This piece is accompanied by an authentication report by Simone Musso, consultant curator for Egyptian antiquities at the Stibbert Museum, Florence, Italy, member of the Nuri Archaeological Expedition.