Statue sets world record for ancient Egyptian work at Christie’s
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An ancient Egyptian sculpture, standing just a little more than 2 feet high, made big waves at Christie’s last week. A sandstone statue of the goddess Isis set the world record for an ancient Egyptian artwork, selling for a whopping $5,934,430.
London sculpture dealer Daniel Katz purchased the Isis statue for his private collection.
In her day, Isis was looked upon as a protector of the dead and goddess of children. The statue -- which hails from the Late Period Dynasty, circa 664-525 BC -- is thought to have been used for healing purposes.
The statue is made from a particularly hard and dark sandstone called greywacke.
The previous record in the Egyptian art category was set in 2005. The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, bought a Limestone tomb sculpture of the Egyptian Prince Ka-Nefer and his family, for $2,816,000, less than half of Isis’ price tag.
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