Egyptian Faience Hieroglyphic Scarab

Fragment from a tunic in coarse linen and purple violet wool, preserving the ornamentation of neck and chest, decorated with alternating medallions, with figures enclosed within the orbiculi of the vertical braids (clavi), representing nude or lightly dressed dancers; the upper part of the fragment featuring a decoration of red triangles descending downwards. 224 grams, 62 cm



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

This iconographic theme, originating from the pagan repertoire of Greek origin, was common on late Roman tunics: it evoked the joyful processions of Dionysus' servants.

Proof etching on laid paper of plate 64 from Vol.II of Description de l'Égypte : ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. entitled Thèbes. Hypogées. Manuscrit sur papyrus. 4eme partie. 235 grams, 105 x 69.5 cm



From the collection of a North American priest. Acquired between 1981-1996. Property of a North American collector.

Produced between February 1802 and 1830 on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte; published between 1809 and 1828. Just 1,000 copies were distributed to various institutions, printed on laid paper with an 'Égypte ancienne et moderne' watermark. The book is subtitled Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’Armée française, publié par les ordres de Sa Majesté l’Empereur Napoléon le Grand (Gathering of observations and discoveries which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French army, published on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great). It was the world's first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the remains of ancient Egypt. The plates of this book are the first to present the archaeological sites of Thebes (Luxor). The papyrus manuscript was recovered from an underground tomb chamber (hypogeum). This includes a scene (bottom right) depicting the weighing of the deceased's heart before Osiris's divine tribunal. The heart is balanced against the feather of Maat, and the ibis-headed Thoth records the verdict. If the heart fails to balance, it is devoured by a fearsome creature called Ammut, and the deceased would cease to exist.

Presented in a striding pose with his left leg forward and his arms at his sides; wearing his emblem, the lotus-flower headdress from which two plumes emerge, and a menat on each side; dorsal pillar with hieroglyphs, beginning with the incantation: "Words spoken by Nefertum, son of Sekhmet...." 42.8 grams, 11.6 cm



From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

Nefertum is usually depicted as a young man wearing a headdress with a lotus flower or a crown featuring the flower. The god is often linked to beauty, healing, and the lotus flower, with his cult connected to the royal family and the cycle of rebirth. Nefertum’s imagery and symbolism associate him with themes of creation, renewal, and the sun; he symbolises the first sunlight and the pleasant scent of the Egyptian blue lotus flower, emerging from the primal waters within an Egyptian blue water lily.