Egyptian bronze figure of Nefertum

Third Intermediate Period, Libyan Period, 22nd Dynasty, 900-750 BC
Height: 19.7 cm
 
Provenance: Sold Sotheby's London Antiquities sale July 11th, 1988, Lot 243, described as Egyptian bronze Amun (actually Nefertum); The Brudy Collection, USA; Sold Sotheby's New York 17th December 1998, Lot 15; Private collection UK, acquired 2001
 
Standing on an integral base, the god is shown striding with his left foot forward. He wears a short striated royal kilt with broad belt, his face with long engraved eyebrows and cosmetic lines, his striated tripartite wig, once surmounted by an inserted head-dress. The braided and curled beard cast separately, as are his arms, the right one held close to his thigh. His left hand at his breast would have held an attribute, probably a khepesh sickle sword. The hieroglyphs on the upper surface of the integral base read "[Nefertum] son of Bastet give life to Hemen son of ...".
 
Literature: For examples with the characteristic lotus flower headdress see G. Roeder, 'Mitteilungen aus der Ägyptischen Sammlung. Band VI. Ägyptische Bronzefiguren' (Berlin, 1956) Tafel 3. A complete example from the Late Period is in the collection of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo and illustrated in Erik Horning and Betsy Bryan (eds), 'The Quest for Immortality. Treasure of Ancient Egypt', Prestel, 2002, no. 83.