Valuable Egyptian ancient art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The value of ancient artifacts cannot be stressed enough within the context of history. They provide the people with ways of assessing cultural, social, and other anthropological realities of past civilizations. They offer a valuable perspective on human history by providing a complete picture of the changes societies go through following social and environmental upheavals.
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The Egyptian civilization had some of the most interesting and colorful cultural characteristics. Archeologists have spent years piecing together the material world of societies that flourished across dynasties and rulers, authenticating every single object of interest and subjecting them to rigorous historical studies. Although archeological fraud is not entirely unheard of even in highly regulated academic circles, the continuous discussions and academic conversations facilitate the eventual detection of a ripoff or a fake item.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is an important repository of ancient art from Egypt and features an impressive range of artifacts from various periods and dynasties. One of the most popular pieces in The Met’s Egyptian collection is the Hippopotamus statuette fondly referred to as “William.” The name was first used in the 1930s and caught on with the public. It is a blue-glazed figure made from faience and with illustrations of river plants on the body, representing the animal which in ancient Egyptian reality and mythology is considered one of the most dangerous. It can be dated to Middle Kingdom.
Another rare statuette from Dynasty 12 is the one depicting a dwarf Egyptian official. The medium used by the sculptor is a kind of rock called serpentinite. Various visual representations of dwarves from the Old and Middle Kingdoms seem to portray them as thoroughly integrated in Egyptian society. The statuary of the second female Egyptian pharaoh, Hatshepsut, excavated in Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahri in western Thebes during The Met’s expedition in the 1920s, might also be one of the more well-known collections in the museum. It includes various imageries of the pharaoh from elegant seated positions to sphinx representations.
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Sadigh Gallery in New York City specializes in the handling and selling of ancient art, artifacts, and coins from all over the world. The family-owned business handles each interaction with their customers with utmost priority. The gallery has a large customer base that has been supporting the business for 10to20 years, and it considers its customers good friends instead of business partners. To learn more about antique art, follow this Twitter account.
