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LOT 0018
Egyptian Limestone Relief with Bound Asiatic Captive
NEW KINGDOM, 19TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 1250 B.C.
14 3/4 in. (14.5 kg, 37.5 cm high).
Sub-rectangular with keyhole-shaped aperture to the lower right edge; low-relief figure in profile wearing a tunic with circular neckline, bobbed hair swept behind the ears, sharp facial features with short goatee beard; bands of vertical fluting.
ProvenanceAcquired 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 number no. 11830-207550.
See Spalinger, A.J., Historical Observations on the Military Reliefs of Abu Simbel and Other Ramesside Temples in Nubia, in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Vol. 66, 1980; see also a similar image of a Syrian prisoner from the temple of Ramesses III at Tell el Yahudiyeh, in Caubet, A., Egyptian & Near Eastern Faience at the Louvre, in Minerva, September/October 2005, pp.8-10, fig.7.
FootnotesThe features and hairstyle of the figure resemble closely those of Asiatic captives shown on the outer wall of the temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel, Egypt. It is likely that the Egyptian artists from the time of Thutmose III onwards had frequent opportunities to observe the foreigners who came, or were brought into Egypt. It is likely that the Egyptian artists were interested in differentiating the various peoples encountered by the armies on their campaigns northward during the New Kingdom.
The remains of a circular aperture behind the figure probably indicates that the slab was re-used as a grindstone or a door pivot in ancient times.
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LOT 0018
Egyptian Limestone Relief with Bound Asiatic Captive
Estimate £7,000 - 9,000€8,120 - 10,440 (for guidance only)$9,450 - 12,150 (for guidance only)
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Egyptian Mounted Coptic Textile
Circa 6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Comprising a pair of simple segmenta on a woven background, formed of a spiral line surrounding floral images, closed at both ends by a pair of petals. 121 grams, 38 x 30 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The textile shows a pair of segmenta, probably from a sleeve of a linen tunic. The wool here seems to be Z-spun, a spin direction not very common in Roman Egypt and suggesting that the spun yarn may have been traded from another province of the empire. Frequently, like in our case, the wool is purple in hue. -
Egyptian Fishtail Flint Knife
Circa 3650-3300 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,150
Knapped bifacial tan knife with fishtail butt to receive a hilt; the rounded tip tapering and flaring along the edges; with a custom-made display stand. 142 grams total, 12 cm including stand
Collection of Maurice Bouvier, Alexandria, Egypt, then in Switzerland from 1959; thence by descent. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11834-207726.
Many of these superbly crafted knives are attributed to the Naqada II period (c.3500-c.3200 BC), in Upper Egypt. They were normally used in the Opening of the Mouth ceremony. -
Egyptian Mounted Coptic Textile
Circa 5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Comprising a double band of purple wool over linen, the ornament consisting of a series of circles alternating with a star-shaped and rhomboid decoration. 152 grams, 42.5 x 34 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The large segments can be classified as clavi, although they are not part of a tunic but more possibly borders of a curtain, or a funerary sheet. Mantles and funerary shrouds were usually decorated by wide bands along the lower border, imitating the ornaments of tunics with clavi and orbiculi.
