A 2,700-year-old bronze figure of Ptah, the ancient Egyptian creator god, attracted attention at the Frieze Masters art fair in London. Its appearance is similar to the Oscar statuette, the small figure presented as a movie award. Antiquities dealer Rupert Wace, who sells ancient objects, found a possible connection while researching its ownership history before the fair.
The figure once belonged to newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst. Cedric Gibbons, the art director who designed the Oscar in 1928, was Hearst’s friend and a frequent visitor. He visited Hearst’s homes in California and New York, where Hearst had a special room for his Egyptian collection. These connections led Wace to suggest that the ancient figure might have influenced the award’s design.
However, Wace says he cannot prove the theory, and Gibbons never directly confirmed his inspiration. Wace also values the bronze for its quality and its history as a collected object, apart from any Hollywood connection. The figure sold on the opening day of the fair, but the price was not made public.
