Pair of 19th century sphinxes

early nineteenth century
Pair of sphinxes
Wood, 16,5 x 15,5 x 6 cm

Present in Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Greek mythology, the sphinx is a being usually depicted with a human head and a lion's body. Sometimes, however, she is also given the wings of a bird of prey and a snake instead of a tail, and the human head is replaced with the heads of a hawk or goat. However, in the three mythologies she has different origins and functions. In Egypt the sphinx is the guardian of the pyramids which, silent and imperturbable, seems to be as ancient as the earth itself. In Mesopotamia it is placed alongside the figures of lamassu, hybrid creatures with a human head and the body of a lion or bull and also equipped with wings, considered beneficial entities bringing strength and wisdom, placed to protect cities and palaces. In Greek mythology, however, the sphinx is a creature daughter of Typhon and Echidna and sister of monstrosities such as the Chimera, the Hydra and the Cerberus. In this case it is a monster that scourged the city of Thebes, questioning passers-by and devouring those who could not solve his riddles, solved only by the intrepid Oedipus.
These two carved wooden sculptures depict two sphinxes with a lion-like body and a female chest and face. Dating back to the 1798th century, they are part of that cultural movement that led to the rediscovery of the East; the current of Orientalism spread especially in England and France, starting in the last years of the eighteenth century and finding its maximum diffusion in the nineteenth century, especially following Napoleon's expedition to Egypt in XNUMX.

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