Ancient Egypt. Ptolemaic period, 300 - 30 BC.

Ancient Egypt. Ptolemaic period, 300 - 30 B.C.
Sycamore wood, painted and stuccoed.
Conservation: Good condition. It has lost the polychrome in wood and stucco, as can be seen in the images.
With certificate of authenticity of the judicial expert Fernando Bernaldez.
Measurements: 15 x 20 cm.

Sculpture made of sycamore wood from ancient Egypt. The Ptolemaic dynasty is the one founded by Ptolemy I Sóter, general of Alexander the Great. This dynasty ruled Egypt during the Hellenistic period from the death of Alexander until 30 BC, when it became a Roman province. It is also known by the name of the Lagarid dynasty, as Lagos was the father (or presumed father) of Ptolemy I. Ptolemy I established the capital of this kingdom in Alexandria, a small town at that time that became the main commercial and intellectual center of antiquity. This dynasty adopted Egyptian customs from the beginning and was a constant enemy of the Macedonian Seleucid dynasty. It was during the reign of one of its monarchs (Ptolemy V) that a decree was published (in 197 B.C.) in three types of writing on a black stone known today as the Rosetta Stone. At some points in its history, the dynasty dominated Cyrenaica (northeast of present-day Libya), as well as southern Canaan and Cyprus. Its last ruler was the famous Cleopatra. After her death and that of her son, Caesarion (Ptolemy XV), the dynasty ended and Egypt was annexed by Augustus to the Roman Empire. This period was characterized by a cultural synthesis between Greek, Egyptian and other Eastern Mediterranean artistic traditions.