Egyptian Art - Amun Ra & Heri-Shef - Ram carvings

                                                   Amun Ra & Heri-Shef

                                                   Heri-Shef mounted relief -  Dimensions - 24cm height (including stand)  x 16cm base length x 6cm base depth

                                                   Amun amulet - 5.5cm diameter

On offer here for the first time this century  one of my turning point carvings from 1991,  Hery-Shef, reproduced in a fresh way that has never looked better mounted on an angular felt based stand. In addition and complimentary, you will receive an amulet of Amun Ra which makes for a more interesting display. A hint of colour remains on these pieces and the overall effect is that of a real ancient antiquity.

It was during the early nineties while staying at my Grandparents mountain property, as I did oh so many times, and after finishing my third and final pyramid for my dead cat 'Shesep ankh' ( the ancient name of the Sphinx) that I discovered a vein of rocks that were so smooth and fine to carve.( I will have to explain my  pyramid building and pet burial phase of my late teens on a future home page on Down Under Pharaoh.)

Anyway I was thrilled with the possibilities of this stone and began to firstly grind the stones flat which revealed a wonderful fine grained carving surface to work with. This grain is captured in the Hery-Shef reproduction and was well suited for adding finer details which went beyond what i was doing in sandstone. I think this piece was a major shift in my level of skill when I was 20 as the previous carvings were not quite so well modelled. I never stop learning but there is something about this carving that was a revelation of sorts and that is why I will make it available again rather than have it sit in a stoney retirement at the back of the shelf. Hopefully you will appreciate the fact that he is back in the spotlight as I do this work for other peoples eyeballs as well as my own.

MYTHOLOGY

This pair of Ram deities represent two of the many forms to incorperate this animal in Egyptian iconography.

AMUN/AMON/AMEN/AMIN/AMYN/ARM - IN......RA. Everyone has their own preferred spelling................ 'The hidden one' - is the most famous of all male gods rising to prominence during the most cosmopolitan and prosperous period of Egyptian history - the New kingdom. For the entire duration of the Old Kingdom Amun was an obscure god whose cult centre was none other than the mighty Thebes of upper Egypt (ancient name - Waset) where the largest temple in the land survives today and is very well known as Karnak temple in modern Luxor. One must however remember that  it wasn't the only mega temple in the land as the evidence suggest an even larger and older complex dedicated to Ra the sun god existed in Memphis (Menufer) to the north. Medieval Cairo was built with the blocks from this ancient precinct which leaves the Theban  Amun temple to garner the most attention for ponderance. The ancient Egyptian rivalry between north and south comes together in Amun - Ra as a symbol of a united Egypt being elevated to state god and enduring for over 500 years.

Amun was shown as a man wearing the Red crown surmounted by two stylized ostrich plumes. He wears a tunic or kilt and sometimes a bodice with rishi pattern. Rishi pattern was based on an actual feathered garment that would have been worn by royal and sacred individuals during ceremonial occasions. This pattern was also used on coffins, most notably those of Queen Meryt Amun of the early 18th dynasty and in spectacular fashion on the coffins of the late 18th dynasty king Tutankhamun.

Amun in mythological terms became associated with the ram when he was said to have disguised himself in the skin and head of a ram when the god of the atmosphere, air and wind - Shu pleaded with him to come out of hiding. After showing himself to the world in this form rams became sacred and were slaughtered once a year as an offering to the hidden one.

HERY-SHEF/HARASPHES/HERISHEF/ or to the ancient Greek admirers an equivalent  association - HERAKLES/HERCULES was the god of lakes and water whose cult centre was the Faiyum oasis. He was associated with Osiris and Ra, thus wears the Atef crown made of feather plumes featuring a central sun disc. He was also known as a god of manliness in the sense of virtue and dignity. He is depicted as a strident man wearing a kilt but with the head of a long horned ram. Information for this god  from historical records is at best scant which is surprising considering his elevation to state god prior to the rise of the Thebans and the god Montu and subsequently Amun.