Egyptian Ramesside Clay Shabti

With ribbed carapace and suspension loop to underside. 2.89 grams, 22 mm



Acquired on the European art market in the early 2000s. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland.

Modelled in the half-round in standing pose wearing the atef crown with flanking ostrich plumes and frontal uraeus; holding the crook (heka) and flail (nekhakha) regalia in his crossed hands; lower legs absent. 12.7 grams, 60 mm



From the private collection of a Canadian gentleman living in Essex, UK, formed since the 1920s-circa 1990. Property of an Essex lady until the the late 1990s; thence by descent. From the private collection of an Essex gentleman since the late 1990s.

Piriform jar with wide, flat rim and short neck, narrow neck and flat base. 1.2 kg, 15.5 cm



Ex Becker collection, 1920s. Private collection, Los Angeles, USA, 1990s. Private European collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12576-232111.

Three forms of serpentine were mainly used by the ancient Egyptians for stone vessels: a) green or grey serpentine with black veins; b) translucent green serpentine with black patches; c) granular black serpentine with intermixed grey or brown granules. Type a) Serpentine, i.e. the green or grey one with black veins, has the longer time range, and was used for vessels from the Predynastic Period (Naqada II) through the New Kingdom. It was used for stone vessels, but also became common for statuettes and small toilet vessels. The class of green glazed kohl pots, many with carved or openwork decoration which are usually called ‘glazed steatite’ were more likely to be made of serpentine. The type here represented is a form known in the New Kingdom: a bag-shaped jar with neck, flat base, and wide thin rim. Similar vessels have been found in Thebes, Amarna, Kahun, among the other localities.