An exceptional Egyptian painted limestone statue for the Inspector of the Scribes: Sekhemka
Old Kingdom, Late Dynasty 5 , circa 2400 – 2300 B.C.
Estimate: £4 – 6 million
Sold for £15,762,500/$27,001,163/€19,766,175
Egyptian statue sells for £15,8 million ($27 million) Sekhemka, an exceptional Egyptian statue created in Saqqara during the Old Kingdom, Late Dynasty 5, circa 2400–2300 B.C., sold for £15,762,500 at Christie’s, setting a world record price at auction for an ancient Egyptian work of art.]]>
July 13, 2014, source: Christie’s / Sotheby’s
Depicting a man called Sekhemka, who we know from the inscription on the statue’s base was the Inspector of the scribes of the royal court, this statue would have been placed in his tomb’s chapel as a living image, with the depictions of offerings in carved relief around the side of his seat sustaining his soul for eternity. The sculpture was originally acquired by the 2nd Marquess of Northampton during his travels in Egypt in 1849-50 and was given to the Northampton Museum by either the 3rd or 4th Marquess of Northampton prior to 1880. The statue was offered for sale by Northampton Borough Council. Proceeds of the sale of the sculpture will help fund a major new extension of the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery doubling the size of the exhibition space, creating new galleries, teaching facilities and commercial space. The new development will position Northampton as a leading regional museum focused on history, art and Northampton’s footwear heritage.
The statue was the star of Christie’s “The Exceptional Sale”, which realised £31,048,500/$53,186,081/€38,934,819. In addition to Sekhemka, a bronze sculpture by Giambologna, “The Rape of A Sabine”, fetched £3,666,500 / $6,280,715 / €4,597,791.
Sekhemka was not the only antiquity to sell for an exceptional price this week. The day before, Sotheby’s “Treasures” sale was led by a Roman marble statue of Aphrodite , which established a new record for any classical sculpture sold at auction in Europe when it sold for £9,378,500 ($16,073,811/ €11,788,813) (est. £4 – 6m / €4.9 – 7.4m / $6.8 – 10.1m).
Related content
Old master & British painting at Christie’s & Sotheby’s, July 2014
Follow us on:
