LONDON.- Christie's will offer an important Egyptian Limestone Pair Statue of the Royal Acquaintances Nebefwy and Mes-sat, dating to the Old Kingdom, Mid to Late 5th Dynasty, circa 2400–2300 B.C. (estimate on request). The work will come to auction in The Exceptional Sale: Masterworks Across Cultures in London on 30 June 2026.

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The sculpture depicts Nebefwy and his wife Mes-sat standing closely together on an integral plinth, their forms united in one of the most elegant expressions of Old Kingdom private funerary sculpture. The hieroglyphic inscription identifies the couple and their son, Meh-er-nefer, who is recorded as the dedicant of the monument in honour of his parents.

Nebefwy is shown in a poised striding stance, his left leg advanced, wearing a pleated kilt and finely modelled close-fitting wig, while Mes-sat stands intimately beside him, her arm placed around his back in a gesture of enduring familial unity. The composition is distinguished by its quiet monumentality, harmonious proportions, and excellent state of preservation.

Among the few surviving Old Kingdom pair statues in private hands, this work is notable for its sculptural refinement, sensitivity of modelling, and unusually complete inscriptional programme, preserving the names and relationships of the figures depicted.

The statue is recorded at Hovingham Hall in North Yorkshire since 1778 and carries an exceptional provenance extending from Sir James Porter, British Ambassador in Constantinople, to King George III, who subsequently gifted it to Thomas Worsley.

Both rare and evocative, the Hovingham Hall pair statue stands as a powerful example of Old Kingdom elite portraiture and one of the most important early Egyptian sculptures to enter a British collection.

Hannah Solomon, International Head of Antiquities, says: “This extraordinary pair statue combines outstanding artistic quality with one of the most remarkable early provenances in private hands, tracing its journey from Old Kingdom Egypt to the court of George III and the historic Hovingham Hall collection. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the exhibition at Christie's King Street for a rare opportunity to see this important piece, and to bring this work to auction in The Exceptional Sale.”

Christie's The Exceptional Sale: Masterworks Across Cultures brings together showpieces spanning ancient civilisations to the early modern era, from multiple cultures, celebrating objects of outstanding cultural, historical and artistic significance.


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