21st Nov, 2025 13:00
Fine Antiquities & Ancient Art
23
A LIMESTONE RELIEF FRAGMENT WITH HIEROGLYPHIC INSCRIPTION, OLD KINGDOM OR ARCHAIZING LATE PERIOD
€3,000
€6,000
€3,000 (1bid)
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
Published: Isabel Grimm-Stadelmann (ed.), Aesthetic Glimpses, Masterpieces of Ancient Egyptian Art, The Resandro Collection, Munich, 2012, p.18, no. R-044.
Egypt, circa 2323-2150 BC or circa 775-653 BC. Neatly carved in sunk relief, preserving sections of three text rows, with fine incised details and traces of red corrections as well as preserved red and black pigments.
Expert’s note: This finely carved limestone relief fragment, inscribed with three rows of hieroglyphs including the owl (m) and kingfisher (bnw) signs, invites comparison between works of the Old Kingdom and those of the archaizing Late Period. In favor of an Old Kingdom date are the crisp, deep cutting of the sunk relief and the confident, spacious arrangement of the hieroglyphs, characteristics consistent with royal tomb reliefs of the 5th and 6th Dynasties. Conversely, the case for an archaizing Late Period attribution rests on the presence of fine incised detailing and pigment corrections, features often seen in Saite and Ptolemaic revivalist works, where artists consciously emulated Old Kingdom styles while adding more linear refinements. Without a secure archaeological context, both attributions remain plausible; however, the fragment provides clear evidence of the lasting authority of Old Kingdom artistic conventions.
Inscriptions: The top row preserving the symbol for 'my', and a pair of unidentifiable human feet; the middle row with 'i', and a clenched fist, representing the determinative 'mi'; and the lower row with a bird sign, perhaps a neh or rekhyt bird.
Provenance: The Resandro collection, Europe, primarily assembled between 1960s-1997, inventory number R-044. Whilst enjoying their honeymoon on a Nile cruise in 1964, the newly-wed Resandros’ fell in love with Egypt, and a seed was planted of a life-long passion for collecting ancient art. The collectors formed one of the most important and largest private collections of primarily Egyptian antiquities in Europe, acquiring unique works at the major auctions and from respected dealers. The extensive collection, which primarily focused on bronzes but expanded to include exquisite amulets, elegant vessels and striking sculptures, was largely formed from this formative trip to Egypt in 1964 up until the end of the 1990s. Through their collecting, the couple formed a close relationship with the Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst in Munich, Germany, and especially with Dietrich Wildung, Director of the Museum from 1975-1988, and Sylvia Schoske. This collaboration resulted in five major exhibitions and scholarly catalogues of the collection.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Obvious losses, expected signs of weathering and erosion, and encrustations. With a fine, naturally grown patina overall.
Weight: 526.2 g (excl. stand), 728.6 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 15.5 cm (excl. stand), 19.2 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated stand. (2)
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 5 June 2014, lot 18
Price: USD 15,000 or approx. EUR 17,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian limestone relief, Late Period, 26th-30th dynasty, 664-343 BC
Expert remark: Note the size (24.5 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 28 November 2017, lot 41
Price: GBP 31,250 or approx. EUR 53,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian limestone relief with hieroglyphs, Ptolemaic Period, circa 332-30 B.C.
Expert remark: Note the size (105 x 40 cm).
#expert video ANT1125
Published: Isabel Grimm-Stadelmann (ed.), Aesthetic Glimpses, Masterpieces of Ancient Egyptian Art, The Resandro Collection, Munich, 2012, p.18, no. R-044.
Egypt, circa 2323-2150 BC or circa 775-653 BC. Neatly carved in sunk relief, preserving sections of three text rows, with fine incised details and traces of red corrections as well as preserved red and black pigments.
Expert’s note: This finely carved limestone relief fragment, inscribed with three rows of hieroglyphs including the owl (m) and kingfisher (bnw) signs, invites comparison between works of the Old Kingdom and those of the archaizing Late Period. In favor of an Old Kingdom date are the crisp, deep cutting of the sunk relief and the confident, spacious arrangement of the hieroglyphs, characteristics consistent with royal tomb reliefs of the 5th and 6th Dynasties. Conversely, the case for an archaizing Late Period attribution rests on the presence of fine incised detailing and pigment corrections, features often seen in Saite and Ptolemaic revivalist works, where artists consciously emulated Old Kingdom styles while adding more linear refinements. Without a secure archaeological context, both attributions remain plausible; however, the fragment provides clear evidence of the lasting authority of Old Kingdom artistic conventions.
Inscriptions: The top row preserving the symbol for 'my', and a pair of unidentifiable human feet; the middle row with 'i', and a clenched fist, representing the determinative 'mi'; and the lower row with a bird sign, perhaps a neh or rekhyt bird.
Provenance: The Resandro collection, Europe, primarily assembled between 1960s-1997, inventory number R-044. Whilst enjoying their honeymoon on a Nile cruise in 1964, the newly-wed Resandros’ fell in love with Egypt, and a seed was planted of a life-long passion for collecting ancient art. The collectors formed one of the most important and largest private collections of primarily Egyptian antiquities in Europe, acquiring unique works at the major auctions and from respected dealers. The extensive collection, which primarily focused on bronzes but expanded to include exquisite amulets, elegant vessels and striking sculptures, was largely formed from this formative trip to Egypt in 1964 up until the end of the 1990s. Through their collecting, the couple formed a close relationship with the Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst in Munich, Germany, and especially with Dietrich Wildung, Director of the Museum from 1975-1988, and Sylvia Schoske. This collaboration resulted in five major exhibitions and scholarly catalogues of the collection.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Obvious losses, expected signs of weathering and erosion, and encrustations. With a fine, naturally grown patina overall.
Weight: 526.2 g (excl. stand), 728.6 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 15.5 cm (excl. stand), 19.2 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated stand. (2)
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 5 June 2014, lot 18
Price: USD 15,000 or approx. EUR 17,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian limestone relief, Late Period, 26th-30th dynasty, 664-343 BC
Expert remark: Note the size (24.5 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 28 November 2017, lot 41
Price: GBP 31,250 or approx. EUR 53,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian limestone relief with hieroglyphs, Ptolemaic Period, circa 332-30 B.C.
Expert remark: Note the size (105 x 40 cm).
#expert video ANT1125
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Auction: Fine Antiquities & Ancient Art, 21st Nov, 2025
🎥 NEW: WATCH 13 INSIGHTFUL VIDEOS FROM OUR EXPERT
With our auction Fine Antiquities & Ancient Art on November 21, 2025, Galerie Zacke opens a new chapter.
After decades of specialization in the arts of Asia —from Japan, China, and Southeast Asia through Afghanistan and the Eurasian steppes to the Arabian Peninsula—we now take a step westward. This premiere is dedicated to the great cultures of antiquity: from the Levant and Egypt across the Mediterranean to Italy, the Balkans, and the Maghreb. A circle closes—along the ancient trade routes once traversed by conquerors from Alexander the Great to Genghis Khan. Learn more.
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