Egyptian
An Egyptian limestone relief fragment of a vulture, Late Period, circa 664 - 332 BC
Limestone
Width: 4 cm
A small, finely sculpted fragment with the head of the vulture goddess Nekhbet in relief, the details of the large eye and the curved beak incised.
A small, finely sculpted fragment with the head of the vulture goddess Nekhbet in relief, the details of the large eye and the curved beak incised.
Provenance
Francesca Zijlstra (1950-2021) Collection, Beek, The Netherlands, acquired before 2000. Zijlstra was a renowned sculptor who won the silver medal of the Prix de Rome in 1975 and in 1977. She was the partner of the Dutch sculptor Arthur Spronken (1930-2018) and they shared a studio in the south of LimburgWith Cahn AG, Basel, 2014
Literature
Nekhbet the vulture goddess was the protector of Upper Egypt and of royalty. Along with Wadjet the cobra goddess (the protector of Lower Egypt) they became known as the 'Two Ladies', the protectors of unified Egypt. She was also a protector of royal children and, in later periods, of all young children and expectant mothers.Similar images of Nekhbet appear on reliefs and on sculptor's models, depicting the goddess herself, forming part of the vulture crown worn by royalty, or simply representing the hieroglyphic sign 'aleph'. For a small Late Period relief plaque with a similar image of Nekhbet in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, see acc. no. 11.155.12.