EGYPTIAN WOODEN BA BIRD STATUETTE

EGYPTIAN WOODEN BA BIRD STATUETTE
Ptolemaic Period, Ca. 332 - 30 BCAn Egyptian wooden statuette of Ba-Bird carefully depicts a human-headed bird standing on a thin rectangular base, with folded wings and wearing a tripartite wig. The statuette represents the ba-form, one of the possible manifestations of the human being after death. According to Egyptian beliefs, in the afterlife, the ba is in possession of all vital functions and capacities. Egyptian funerary literature highlighted the ability to move fast from one place to another (in sharp contrast to the immobility of the mummified body lying in the tomb), making it possible for the deceased to traverse the netherworld by night, and to leave the tomb to join the celestial route of the sun god by day. For similar see: British Museum number EA61884.Size: 130mm x 80mm; Weight: 90gProvenance: Private UK collection; Ex. M. H. collection, Kensington, acquired on the UK art market in the 1970s. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.