Mirror with concubine handle - Lot 36

Mirror with concubine handle The girl is wearing a short wig with thick braids. Her long, slender arms support the upper part of the handle, forming a half-lotus profile. The feet rest on a base adorned with a tenon, now totally blunted, used to mount it on a tripod. The head is surmounted by a papyrus capital with chiselled leaf tops. The handle is topped by a circular disk evoking the sun. A rivet holds the two parts together. Copper alloy. Traces of textile weft on the disc. Egypt, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty (1550-1292 B.C.) Height: 22.5 cm; diameter: 13.6 cm Provenance : - Former collection of Joseph Laissus (1900-1969), then by descent. - Acquired, according to the notes accompanying the object, from the Pierre Louÿs estate in 1938. Notes relating to the mirror will be given to the purchaser, including a letter dated 1951. These mirrors were mainly found in female burials, and were sometimes inserted into mummy wrappings. Similar models are preserved in the Louvre, the Brooklyn Museum and the Cleveland Museum, among others.