An Egyptian granite portrait bust of a shaven-headed priest stars in Bonhams’ 204-lot sale of antiquities in New Bond Street on July 6.
Carved during the Late Period (c.610-525BC), the 6in (16cm) high piece belongs to the so-called ‘egg-head’ type of sculptures, depicting priests of religious cults with shaved heads. It has a distinctive slice of speckled pink granite to the back of the head.
The bust has passed through the hands of the Paris-based dealer Nicolas Koutoulakis in the 1950s, and latterly sold at Drouot in Paris in 2001 to the private vendor here. It is estimated at £60,000-80,000.