Details

LOT 0015

Egyptian Blue-Glazed Faience Blue Lotus Chalice

NEW KINGDOM-THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, CIRCA 1504-935 B.C.

6 1/4 in. (126 grams, 16 cm).

With a tall, flaring cup rounded at the base, attached to a short stem supported on a flared foot; the outside of the cup decorated with petals modelled in relief and a ribbed rim; the stem and foot plain; some restoration.

Provenance

Acquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12099-214088.

Literature

Cf. Eggebrecht, A., Ägyptens Aufstieg zur Weltmacht, Mainz, 1987, 326, no. 279, for a similar chalice.

Footnotes

Faience chalices shaped like the flowers of the blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) first appeared in the 18th Dynasty. The blue lotus chalices were believed to have been used for cultic or votive purposes in temples or in rituals offered to the dead. Known as 'Seshen' by the ancient Egyptians, the blue lotus was a symbol of solar concepts associated with rebirth, probably because its flowers opened in the morning and closed at night. Hence, it is not surprising to find that the lotus was prominently featured in ancient Egyptian funerary art, particularly in banqueting scenes honouring the deceased, and in bouquets that adorned the coffin and bier of the deceased. It is also believed that the flower petals were used to make perfume, and that the ancient Egyptians took advantage of the lotus's narcotic properties. The extracted essence was added to wine to enhance its pleasurable effects, as depicted in banqueting scenes with intoxicated guests.