NEW YORK, NY.- A 3,300-year-old stele dating to the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose IV (c. 1401–1391 BC), once owned by the co-founder of modern professional bodybuilding, will headline David Aaron’s presentation at TEFAF New York this May.

The finely carved limestone stele depicts Pharaoh Thutmose IV wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, while holding an ankh and the was sceptre - symbols of life and divine authority. Incised hieroglyphs record the king’s prenomen (throne name), Menkheperure, confirming the stele’s royal identity.

The remarkably well-preserved stele from the Pharaoh’s reign is rich in royal iconography and religious meaning, acting as a devotional monument to assert the pharaoh’s legitimacy and close relationship with the gods.

Thutmose IV, the eighth pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, is recognised for the restoration of the Great Sphinx of Giza and commissioning the iconic Dream Stele, a substantial monument which recounts how the Sphinx promised the prince kingship if he cleared the monument from the desert sands. Thutmose IV had not been the chosen successor of his father, Pharaoh Amenhotep II, and the Dream Stele served to legitimise the new Pharaoh’s right to rule and his connection to the gods.

This stele also carries a unique modern history. It belonged to Ben Weider (1923–2008), the pioneering Canadian co-founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilders, and Napoleonic historian. The stele was presented to Weider in Cairo in 1964 by the United Arab Republic of Bodybuilding Federation in recognition of his ‘work in popularising bodybuilding in the Middle East’. The stele remained in Weider’s collection for decades and will be exhibited in New York with the original presentation plaque.

Salomon Aaron, Director, David Aaron, said: “This piece bridges three millennia of history. It was created to legitimise Pharoah Thutmose IV’s rule, rediscovered in the modern era, and remained preserved in the hands of a collector with a passion for history. This piece offers collectors a unique opportunity to acquire a significant piece of ancient history that is accompanied by a fascinating provenance’.

Weider rose to prominence alongside his brother, Joe, building a fitness and publishing empire which led to the establishment of the Mr Olympia bodybuilding competition, and lobbying for the sport to be recognised as professional. In a stroke of genius, in 1968 Weider brought the then-unknown Austrian bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger to the United States to compete in Mr Olympia, propelling both Schwarzenegger, and Mr Olympia, into the spotlight.

An Egyptian Goddess in regal greywacke stone

Also presented at TEFAF will be a masterfully carved Egyptian bust of a goddess in greywacke stone, dated to the reign of Amasis II (570–526 B.C.), Dynasty XXVI. Long misattributed and overlooked, the piece was recently rediscovered and restored.
Following 40 years of obscurity in a private collection, the goddess appeared at a Gloucestershire auction in 2022, covered in a shiny layer of paint or wax and with an unusually preserved nose, casting doubt on its authenticity.

Research by David Aaron unearthed new provenance documentation placing the bust at a 1923 Hôtel Drouot sale in Paris. Material analysis revealed that the goddess was carved from a fine dark stone called greywacke, a material highly prized in the Late Period for sculptures of royal and divine figures.

Scientific and art historical study revealed a section of the sculpture had been reworked into a new nose during the 18th century; while technically impressive for the period, the restoration style is now outdated and led to questions about the sculpture’s authenticity. David Aaron undertook de-restoration efforts, with the 18th-century nose sympathetically reattached, to return the goddess to her former glory.
The Stele of Thutmose IV and the Greywacke Goddess will be presented in an exhibition of exceptional pieces spanning Bronze Age British, Classical Greek and Roman, and ancient Egyptian history at TEFAF New York.