Egyptian Faience Fragment Group

Mummiform figure wearing a braided beard with chin-straps in relief, broad collar visible between the lappets of the nemes headdress adorned with a double uraeus, the crossed hands holding a hoe and pick, with a seed bag over the left shoulder, his broad face with straight nose, wide-set eyes and large ears, six horizontal lines of inscription, giving a version of Chapter 6 from the Book of the Dead; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 659 grams total, 21 cm including stand



J.J. Klejman, Madison Avenue, New York, USA, 1960s. UK private collection, acquired from the above, 1960s. Bluett and Sons, London, 1979. Sheppard & Cooper, UK, private collection, 1980s. Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani, the 'Princely' private collection, UK. Acquired from the above in 2017. with Sotheby's, London, 5 July 2024, no.126. Accompanied by a copy of the Bluett and Sons invoice, 22 January 1979. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13273-254064.

Of the 1277 shabtis of Senkamenisken found in the king's burial chamber of his pyramid tomb at Nuri (Pyramid 3), 410 are made of serpentine, the remaining 867 of faience. The inscription reads: 'The illuminated one, the Osiris, the good god, lord of the two lands, Sekheper[en]re, true of voice, He says: "O this shabti, if anyone summons the Osiris Senkamenisken, true of voice, in order to do any work which is to be done in the God's Land (i.e. necropolis), to cultivate the fields, to irrigate the canals, to carry sand from the east to the west and vice versa, 'Here I am', you shall say".

Modelled in the round kneeling on an integral base and wearing a broad rounded wig, holding a fragmentary offering basin before him; dorsal pillar engraved with a single vertical column of hieroglyphs, translating: 'The Count, Overseer of the Entrance to the Hill Countries, Chief Supervisor of the Shrines [of Neith], Wahibre, son of Paeftchawy'; upper rim of the basin further inscribed with a ritual formula intended to be recited during the presentation of its contents. 107.7 kg total, figure: 40 cm high, fragments: 47-58 cm wide including stand



For the two basalt sections: UK private collection, formed 1970s-1990s. Princely collection, until 2014; thence to a private foundation. Acquired by the current owner from Rupert Wace, London, UK. For the kneeling basalt figure: European private collection, since the mid-19th century. Sold at Christie’s, New York, 8 June 2001, no.114. Sold at Drouot-Richelieu, Paris (Boisgirard), 14 February 2005, no.313. European private collection, acquired at the above sale; thence by descent to the previous owners. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13193-250115.

The figure on this vessel represents the customs official Wahibre, son of Paeftchawy, a well-attested individual known from at least fourteen other sculptures. Additional evidence for Wahibre’s identity is provided by a fragment of his mummiform sarcophagus, found at el-Hagar, within the territory of his native city of Sais. The titles inscribed on his surviving monuments reflect a career that combined priestly responsibilities with significant administrative and military authority. In southern Egypt, Wahibre served as chief customs officer and commanded a contingent of foreign troops tasked with protecting the frontier, probably Greek mercenaries from Caria.

Pouch-shaped body with trumpet-shaped mouth and lateral loop handles. 191 grams, 10.5 cm



Acquired at a London antiques fair in the 1990s. From the private collection of a Devon, UK, lady.