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LOT 0028
Egyptian Limestone Offering Table for Iny
LATE OLD KINGDOM-FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, CIRCA 2400-2040 B.C.
18 in. (14.75 kg, 45.5 cm).
Rectangular table with the upper part carved in high relief in the shape of a bread loaf on a mat representing the hieroglyphic sign for "offering" (ḥtp), with two rectangular recesses for libations, and extensive hieroglyphic inscriptions displaying offering formulae along with the titles and name of the deceased: "an offering that the king gives and Anubis, the one upon his mountain, a voice offering of bread and beer for the sole companion, god’s sealer, the revered one before the god, lord of the sky/heaven, In[y]".
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Private collection, Switzerland.
with a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13001-244462.
Cf. Firth, C.M. and Gunn, B., Excavations at Saqqara: Teti Pyramid Cemeteries, vols. I & II, Le Caire, 1926, pp. 217-226, pl.11, for similar examples.
FootnotesOffering tables played a significant role in ritualistic activity within tombs. Their origins may be traced back to the simple act of placing a loaf of bread on a reed mat during Predynastic burials, which gradually evolved into a more formalised and durable expression in stone. The distinctive form also became a hieroglyph, used in words meaning “to be satisfied,” “to be satiated,” and similar expressions, reflecting appropriate sentiments for food and drink offerings.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0028
Egyptian Limestone Offering Table for Iny
Sold for (Inc. bp): £11,700
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Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Bracelet with Winged Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £140
Restrung bracelet of annuar beads in the form of a scarab with extended wings. 8.3 grams, 22 cm including clasp
Ex Mariaud de Serres, Paris, France, 1990s. -
Egyptian Bronze Osiris Statuette
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
A slender standing figure of Osiris in iconic mummiform appearance, wearing the tall conical Atef crown with its flanking ostrich plumes, and central uraeus, a long, internally detailed divine beard, and holding the crook (heka) and flail (nekhakha) regalia. 17.5 grams, 62 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Comprising: an orbiculus in coarse linen and brown wool, S torsion, embroidered with the image of a stylised bird, surrounded by tondos ornamented with geometric embroidery, borders meander decorated; a similar fragment of double segmenta, embroidered with hares alternated to fishes. 9 grams total including package, 60-64 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The iconography of this fragment is called "Nilotic," as it depicts plant and human elements linked to life on the Nile River. These images are very recurrent on Coptic textiles. Weavers created patterns that allowed them to reproduce these motifs on any type of fabric (curtains, tassels, clothing).
