Egyptian statue /sculpture replica - Amenhotep III Sphinx wearing the double crown.

Amenhotep III Sphinx

Dimensions:-

Height – 12.8 cm / 5 inches

Length – 15.2 cm / 6 inches

Width – 4.5 cm / 1-3/4 inches


On offer here is one scale replica sphinx statue featuring Amenhotep III wearing a triple crown. The crown is made up of the striped Nemes head cloth surmounted by the double crown of upper and lower Egypt.


Made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone they have been given a well developed light ochre patina and have a felt lined base. A very beautiful and realistic edition.


Background information

A pair of statues reside today in Saint Petersburg, Russia, that represent two of the best examples of colossal Egyptian sculpture outside of Egypt. The original statues were found buried at the site of king Amenhotep the third’s mortuary temple in western Thebes, modern day Kom el Hettan in the early 1800’s.

Antiquity dealer Henry Salt had interested parties in both France and Russia but with the outbreak of the French revolution diverting attention away from the exotica of Egyptian antiquities, the Saint Petersburg destination was secured.

The statues appear to have suffered some almost identical damage during transit with the false beard torn away on both otherwise pristine statues. Reports state that rope gave way on one statue as it was being lowered onto the deck of a transportation boat and the statue smashed the deck to pieces.

After almost a year in transit they were sailed into Saint Petersburg and unloaded onto granite plinths where they remain to this day.

The double crown composition is a very rare addition for a sphinx sculpture and the most comparable example is to be found in the temple of Wadi el Sebua (valley of the lions) in southern Egypt. This temple was built by the later king Ramses the great who greatly admired and in many cases usurped the statuary of Amenhotep III.