The Egyptian god Serapis was a syncretistic deity popularized during the reign of the earliest of the Ptolemaic kings in order to unite the Greek and Egyptian populations of cosmopolitan Alexandria. Serapis was depicted with classical physical features but embodied many of the powers and attributes of the Egyptian principal deities Osiris and Apis. As a benevolent healer and overseer of the afterlife, Serapis also came to be identified with the classical deities Asklepios, Dionysus, and Hades. The present example was likely part of a composite sculpture of Serapis, with much of the detailing presented in contrasting stone and plaster. The area around the beard, for instance, is roughly chiseled to receive adhered curls. The full supple lips, strong nose and broad thickly lidded eyes are typical of the god’s powerful and recognizable physiognomy. The unarticulated nature of the eyes is a testament to the Hellenistic dating for this sculpture. Similarly, composite sculptures were especially prevalent during the late Ptolemaic Period, particularly at Alexandria. A strikingly similar example belongs to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, and another to Alexandria National Museum.

John Jermain Slocum (1914-1997), a renowned and venerable collector, built the foundation of his antiquities collection, including the present work, while serving as US cultural attaché to Egypt in the 1960s. Upon his return to the US, he was the Assistant to the Director of The Smithsonian, he was appointed by President Reagan to the Presidential Cultural Property Advisory Committee, and he was a Trustee Emeritus of the Archaeological Institute of America.

Provenance

John Jermain Slocum, Newport, Rhode Island (acquired in the 1960s)

Sale: Ancient Objects Providence, Rhode Island, October 15, 2017, lot 231

Private Collection (acquired at the above sale; sale: Sotheby's London, December 4, 2018, lot 28)

Private Collection (acquired at the above sale)