Egyptian statue / sculpture - Museum replica - Padi-Iset

Pa-di-iset
Dimensions :-
Total height - 38.5 cm / 15-1/8 inches
Statue fragment height - 30 cm / 12 inches
Stand - 10.8 cm x 10.8 cm / 4-1/4 x 4-1/4 inches

On offer here is an elegant statue of a man inscribed for a man named Pa-di-iset.
Made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone it has a slate black patina with a hint of ochre.
Mounted on a removable felt based stand this statue will add an elegant presence to your Egyptian collection.


Background information

This statue is more than a fine example of middle kingdom sculpture (2055-1650 B.C.E) it is also a historical document of the third intermediate period (1069-664 B.C.E) !

Originally the statue was made for a high official of the middle kingdom administration and this can be discerned from studying the sculptural details and not the inscriptional evidence. It is typical of many other examples of middle kingdom sculpture when comparing the modelling of the face, the ribbed hair with a wedge cut, the large flat ears and the flaring unpleated robe.

The name of the original owner was erased about 1000 years later and reinscribed for a certain Pa-di-iset who lived during the third intermediate period. It was a time when usurping statues was quite common practice especially in delta towns where the original statue was found in 1894.
Good quality stone was not readily available in the swampy delta towns and old statues would be appropriated without much care for the original owner. The subsequent inscriptions and the way they were spaced and carved readily show third intermediate period style.

As a document it's hieroglyphs record the last known mention of the land of Canaan in relationship to Egyptian trade.
The full inscription reads : Ka of Osiris Pa-di-iset, the justified son of Apy. The only renowned one, the impartial envoy / commissioner / messenger of or for Canaan of / for Peleset, Pa-di-iset son of Apy.

On the lower frontal portion of the garment the new owner of the statue kneels before the gods Osiris, Horus and Isis.
Traces of the original glyphs are faint but present in the upper portion of the garment.