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Great Lakes VNTG Hidden Valley Treasure Hunt Downsizing Auction Rocky River, OH* (Closed #34564278)

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Ancient Egyptian Isis Statuette in Bronze & Wood

  Lot # 011
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Details
  • Condition See description/photos
  • Size 7.5"T
  • Location Table 1 (Box)

  • Lot # 011
  • System ID # 34869392
  • End Date
  • Start Date
Description

Ancient Egyptian Isis Statuette in Bronze & Wood

Per hand-written note on the box she came in, this piece was found by Professor James Cooke Van Benschoten (1827-1902), a "real life Indiana Jones", according to our research.

She was formerly on display as part of the collection of the Brooklyn Museum, before being give to our client's family by the his daughter, Margaret "Madge" Morgan Van Benschoten-Dresser.

An interesting dive into the history of this beloved collector of relics, including his acquisition of a mummy, can be found here: https://archaeologycollections.site.wesleyan.edu/2016/08/16/the-long-lasting-legacy-of-wesleyans-professor-van-benschoten/

This statuette is made of cast bronze and the seat is carved and painted wood. It clearly would have originally been the classic depiction of Isis nursing Horus, however, Horus is noticeably missing. Her right hand reaches across to hold her left breast. The delicate upper part of her headdress is missing. Her body is broken into 3 pieces, which do still fit and hold together when she is seated: the feet, which fit into a hole in the wooden throne, the lower legs, and the remainder of her body. There is still sand attached to the underside of the feet from the original casting. 

This is such a remarkable piece, we wish we had weeks to dedicate just to the research of her history.