Egyptian statuette of Pharaoh

ITEM: Statuette of Pharaoh
MATERIAL: Pottery
CULTURE: Egyptian
PERIOD: Ptolemaic period, 332 - 30 B.C
DIMENSIONS: 175 mm x 75 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex French private collection, B.E. (1933 - 2012), Nimes

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export Licence. If you are from outside the European Union, we will have to apply for the export licence again for your country, this takes 3 to 5 weeks and has a cost of 5% of the hammer price, this amount will be added to the final invoice.

Statuettes of pharaohs from the Ptolemaic period (332–30 BCE) reflect the fusion of traditional Egyptian artistic conventions with Hellenistic influences. These small-scale representations of rulers, often made of bronze, faience, or stone, continued the long-standing Egyptian tradition of depicting the pharaoh as a divine and powerful figure. While maintaining core elements of Egyptian royal iconography—such as the nemes headdress, false beard, and traditional kilt—Ptolemaic statuettes sometimes exhibited subtle stylistic changes, including softer facial features and more naturalistic proportions, influenced by Greek artistic trends. These statuettes were used in temples, shrines, and domestic spaces as votive offerings or symbols of royal legitimacy.

Many Ptolemaic pharaoh statuettes were dedicated in temples to reinforce the ruler’s divine status and his role as the intermediary between the gods and the people. Inscriptions on some statuettes link them to specific deities, such as Amun, Osiris, or Isis, emphasizing the religious authority of the Ptolemaic kings. Unlike earlier periods, when statues primarily depicted native Egyptian rulers, Ptolemaic-era statuettes often represented Greek-descended kings, such as Ptolemy I or Ptolemy II, assimilated into traditional Egyptian royal imagery. This blending of cultural elements served to legitimize the Greek rulers in the eyes of the Egyptian population, reinforcing their position as rightful heirs to the pharaonic legacy.