By Carter B. Horsley

This single-owner auction of Egyptian Art is very high in quality and has many museum-class objects. The collection was formed by Charles Pankow, who died earlier this year at the age of 80. Born in South Bend, Indiana, Mr. Pankow founded a construction company in 1963 in Altadena, California and by 1990 the company had revenues of more than $650 million, making it one of the 400 largest private companies in the country, according to the auction catalogue. In 1982, he acquired an historic mansion on Washington Street in Presidio Heights in San Franciso. The house was built in 1904 and had a facade inspired by the garden front of Le Petit Trianon at Versailles and it overlooked San Francisco Bay. Mr. Pankow's collection, according to the catalogue, included not only Egyptian antiquities, but also Greek and Roman antiquities, Chinese Art, Pre-Columbian Art, Impressionist paintings and Russian and Greek icons.

Mr. Pankow's first Egyptian acquisition wqs a Middle Kingdom bronze vessel with stand that he bought in 1978 at Sotheby's Parke Bernet. The catalogue noted that Mr. Pankow acquired many of his pieces from Sotheby's in New York and Sotheby's and Christie's in London and from dealers such as Peter Sharrer in New York and Marianne Maspero in Paris. The proceeds of the auction, the catalogue stated, "are to be used to benefit the Charles Pankow Foundation."

Of all the objects in the Metropolitan Museum, a turquoise faience figure of a hippopotamus, knicknamed "Willie," was chosen as its mascot and is emblazoned not only on ties, hats, bags and t-shirts but also in the minds of many museum visitors as one of the world's great treasures. The museum's hippo retains more of its turquoise pigment than this lot, but there is no doubt that any serious antiquities collector lusts mightily after such charming objects and they are very rare. The catalogue notes that related examples are the above-mentioned one at the Metropolitan Museum, another in the Louvre in Paris and one that sold at Sotheby's December 9, 2003 (see The City Review article on that auction), which was browner, and slightly shorter. This lot has a very conservative estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. The one sold at Sotheby's in December, 2003 had an estimate of $90,000 to $140,000 and sold for $153,600 including the buyer's premium. This one sold for $66,000 including the buyer's premium as do all the results mentioned in this article. The sale was very successful and totalled $6,961,290 and 158 of the 163 offered lots sold.

The catalogue notes hippos were regarded by Egyptians as "denizens of the Underworld" and "were associated with the evil god Seth - the antithesis of the good god Horus who was presented on earth by the living Pharaoh," adding tht "One of Egypt's earliest kings was believed to have been killed by a hippo; perhaps in retaliation, many temple walls bear scenes of the falcon-headed Horus standing in a skiff and harpooning a partially or wholly submerged hippo." Egyptians, however, also regarded hippos as the protectors of women and there are many statuettes of Thoeris, the pregnant hippopotamus-headed goddess. In any event, it is hard to accept these faience hippos as evil for they are far too charming, if not cuddly.

Lot 27, in fact, is a fine pale green faience figure of Thoeris, Late Period, 716-30 B.C. The 4 1/16-inch high figure is depicted holding a sa-sign and wearing a tripartite wig that falls to the top her chevron-incised crocodile tail. The catalogue notes that "The goddess Thoeris, or Tawaret, 'was especially helpful to women during childbirth' and her image was attached to beds, head-rests and cosmetic articles." This lot has a modest estimate of $5,000 to $8,000. It sold for $14,400.

While it is true that hippos can be temperamental and with their girth and enormous mouth they can be formidable opponents, the notion of them wallowing in lily pads must surely be domestic bliss. Certainly contemporary mortals would consider such wallowing luxurious.

The cover illustration of the catalogue is Lot 71, a polychromed wood face mask, 19th/21st Dynasty, 1305-946 B.C., shown at the top of this article. The mask, which is 8 7/8 inches wide, comes from the inner coffin of a large sarcophagus and is painted over a layer of gesso and linen. It is quite exquisite, especially with its deep orange color and beatific expression. Although the nose is somewhat damaged, the face presents a stunning image of feminine beauty. It has a modest estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $372,000.

The Pankow collection has a very nice group of polychrome and gilt cartonnage mummy masks that were impressively displayed during the auction's exhibition. Lot 74, shown on the right above, is a mask of a lady, which is fairly obvious by the exposed breasts, and is Roman Period, circa 1st Century, A.D. It is 20 inches high and was acquired from Marianne Maspero in Paris. The mask, which has a dimpled chin, is richly painted with a wide variety of Egyptian gods and is in excellent condition. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $90,000. Lot 163, the last lot in this auction, is slightly smaller but slightly older than Lot 74. It is dated Late Ptolemaic Period, circa 100-30 B.C., and is 18 3/4 inches high. Whereas many of these masks, especially many of the others in this auction, have strikingly similar and slightly boring, or at least placid, faces, Lot 163 seems like it was posed for by a young Boris Karloff (the famous actor who not only portrayed Frankenstein in the movies, but also "The Mummy)." Lot 163 has a modest estimate of $6,000 to $9,000. It sold for $6,600.

Another head that is hynoptically serene is Lot 100, a limestone head of a man, 30th Dynasty/Early Ptolemaic Period, circa 380-250 B.C. The 5 5/8-inch high head has a modest estimate of $15,000 to $25,000 and while the head is bruised and the right nostril somewhat damaged, it is a very fine work with an especially sensuous mouth. It sold for $60,000.

The blemishes caused by the ravages of time add considerable allure to many works because their presence is testimony to temporality, an aspect of art valued by many connoisseurs. Lot 84 is a stunning relief of the head of an Egyptian wearing a vulture headdress and the relief is in superb condition with fine carving except for two small indentations, one in the bird's left wing and another in the figure's right shoulder. The lot , which measures 9 3/4 by 17 inches and is dated to the Ptolemaic Period, 304-30 B.C., has a conservative estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $42,000.

Sometimes a "damaged" piece is more dramatic than if it were perfect. Lot 67, for example, is an indurated limestone head of a man, 26th Dynasty, 664-525 B.C., that is missing a large part of the top of its head and the lower part of its beard although the face is intact and has quite lovely modeling. The large V-shaped missing slice of the top of the headdress focuses our attention of the quite lovely notion/style of Egyptian headdresses. Here the modeling of the headdress is quite smooth whereas in many other examples it is highly detailed and striated. The 7-inch-high head is imposing and graceful and its simplicity conjures the notion that this might have been an unfinished study. It has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. It sold for $54,000.

Figures of human beings are nice, of course, but figures of gods are often more fascinating, especially in Egyptian Art.

Lot 63 is a "monumental granite figure of the goddess Sekhmet. The 31-inch-high statue is the top of a larger work. Indeed, the bust, the catalogue notes, "is from a statue which probably once stood among over six hundred images of Sekhmet, goddess of war and protector of the king, that lined the courts and passageways of the great temple Amenhotep III built in honor of the goddess Mut at Thebes, and where many still stand in the ruins of the complex." (Quite a few stand in the Temple of Dendur pavilion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.) "Sekhmet," the catalogue entry continued, "was also the divine consort of Ptah, chief god of Memphis in Lower Egypt. She later came to be identified with the goddess Mut, who was consort of the chief god of Thebes, in Upper Egypt, Amun." The large and full-figure Sekhmet statues are among the most impressive works of Egyptian art and are to be keenly coveted. This lot has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $612,800.

Lot 85, a bronze figure of the goddess Wadjet, 21st/20th Century, 1076-342 B.C., is shorter than Lot 63 but because it is full-figured it is almost equally desirable, which is not to suggest that granite sculptures are more desirable than bronzes. This statue is 21 1/8 inches high over a modern base and has an conservative estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $433,600. The catalogue describes this statue of the lion-headed goddess as "enthroned with her hands held before here and probably once holding the ankh and was-scepter, her feet resting on a footrest engraved in front with an inscription..., and wearing a long close-fitting dress reaching to the ankles, broad collar, and tripartite wig of echeloned rectangular curls surmounted by a pierced tenon for attachment of her crown, her powerfully modeled face with finely incised whiskers, the sides of the throne finely engraved on each side with a scale pattern and the union of the plants of Upper and Lower Egypt..., the back of the throne (very worn) engraved at the upper register with the Horus falcon, his wings spread and wearing the sun-disk with uraeus, a papyrus flower (?) held in the left talon...." The imposing statue is quite stylized especially in the treatment of the collar and the modeling of the hands. The modeling of the arms and legs are surprisingly primitive or simplistic. Presumably the successful buyer might outrage some connoisseurs by finding imaginative things to attach to the tenon, perhaps some feathers or reeds.

For those with smaller budgets but savvy, Lot 87 has a great deal of charm. It is a bronze figure of a lion-headed goddess, 26th Dynasty, 664-525 B.C., "or earlier." The goddess is, the catalogue entry notes, "seated in the attitude of Maat with her hands on her knees, and wearing a long close-fitting dress and tripartite wig, a rectangular hole in the top of the head for insertion of the missing headdress, the ears, ruff and mane incised. The statue is 8 1/8 inches high and is softly modeled with a nice dark patina. It has a modest estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $14,400.

The bargain of the auction most likely is Lot 125, a quartzite bust of Horus. Dated probably to the 3rd Intermediate Period, 1075-716 B.C., it is quite imposing although only 6 3/4 inches high. It has a very most estimate of $3,000 to $5,000 and would make a fabulous first acquisition for a young collector. It sold for $7,000.

A fine companion piece for Lot 125 is Lot 140, a bronze Menat pendant that is dated to the Late Period, 716-30 B.C. It is 4 3/4 inches high and has a modest estimate of $2,000 to $3,000 for which one gets a nice assortment of gods. It sold for $4,200. The catalogue notes that the pendant is "surmounted by the heads of a god and a lion-headed goddess, the god wearing a long beard and short wig of echeloned curls surmounted by a uraeus and plumes, the goddess wearing a sun-disk with uraeus, the fragmentary menat molded in relief with figures of the same two deities confronted and grasping a papryus scepter, a uraeus with sun-desk on either side.

The Pankow Collection has many superb medium-size sculptures of high quality, many of which could by themselves be the star of a nice collection.

Lot 62, for example, is a bronze figure of Horus, 21st/22nd Dynasty, 1076-716 B.C., that is 7 inches high. It depicts the falcon-headed god striding with his left hand raised in salutation. The god wears a pleated kilt with Knot Isis in front. The catalogue notes that the arms were cast separately and the details are finely engraved. It has an estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. It sold for $39,000.

Lot 89 is a very fine bronze figure of Horus, Late Period, 716-39 B.C. The 8 1/4-inch high statue shows the falcon-headed god enthroned with his hands resting on his knees and wearing a striated kilt with central tab, engraved beaded collor, and striated tripartite wig surmounted by the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt with uraeus and fragmentary spiral, the eyes inlaid with gold or electrum, the back of the throne engraved with a Horus Falcon wearing the sun-desk and flanked by the Eyes of Horus..., the fragmentary right side of the throne engraved with a lion-headed deity seated on a papyrus flower. This impressive lot has a modest estimate of $6,000 to $9,000. It sold for $10,200.

Lot 61 is an excellent fronze figure of Seth, 19th Dynasty, 1292-1190 B.C. The 6 3/4-inch high statue at one time held attributes in his hands and the catalogue notes that the animal-headed deity is wearing an unusual kilt with groups of vertical striations. The figure has remains of gold overlay and an estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. It sold for $57,000.

The Pankow Collection has quite a few good bronze statues of Osiris. Lot 55 is dated 21st/22nd Dynasty, 1075-716 B.C., and is 19 5/8 inches high "as restored at top of crown." The figures has remains of cobalt-blue glass and is very finely modeled. It has an estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. It sold for $42,000.

Lot 56 is dated to the same period as Lot 55 and is half a inch shorter than Lot 55. It is not as finely modeled as Lot 55 which also has a richer patina. This lot has an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $27,000.

Lot 14 is dated to the Late 26th/30th Dynasty, circa 600-342 B.C. It is 20 5/16 inches high and has an ambitious estimate of $30,000 to $50,000 as part of its crown is broken and the modeling is not as fine as Lot 56's. It sold for $45,000.

Lot 59 is dated 26th/30th Dynasty, 664-342 B.C., and is 7 1/8 inches high. It has a very modest estimate of $3,000 to $5,000. It sold for $4,200.