Egyptian Wooden Face Mask

A vibrant blue-glazed mummiform shabti of princess Nesitanebisheru, daughter of Pinudjem II, on a custom-made display stand; modelled with arms crossed over the chest, holding a hoe in each hand, wearing a tripartite wig; netted seed bag painted on the back; the bottom half of the figure bearing eight columns of hieroglyphic text in black giving a version of the shabti spell reading: (1) The illuminated one, the Osiris Nesitanebisheru, she says: (2) ‘O this shabti, if one counts, if one reckons to do (3) for the Osiris Nesitanebisheru, to cultivate the fields, (4) to irrigate the riparian lands, to transport by boat the sand of (5) the east (to) the west and vice-versa – now indeed obstacles are implanted (6) therewith – as a man at his duties (to do for ?) (7) the Osiris Nesitanebisheru, to do all the works that are to be done (8) in God’s land at any time to serve, ‘here I am,’ (you shall say). 314 grams total, 16.5 cm high including stand



The object comes from the well known Deir el-Bahari cache (near Thebes) first discovered in 1870. Ex Zurich Antiquities Fair. Ex R. Liechti, Geneva, acquired from the above. 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 no.11598-198961.

Nesitanebisheru’s burial was discovered in the famous ‘Royal Cache I’ at Deir el-Bahari (DB 320), with many dozens of coffins and vast quantities of funerary equipment belonging to pharaohs, including Thutmose III and Ramesses II, queens, and other royals, as well as elite members of society that had been reburied by Amun priests to hide them from tomb robbers. Nesitanebisheru’s coffin and burial equipment, including her shabtis, were found at the very end of the c. 70m long tomb in a chamber which served as a family vault for her father, the High Priest of Amun, Pinudjem II, and his principal wife Neskhons. While her worker shabtis are all mostly similar in style with 6-8 text columns, the composition of their inscriptions are not consistent with different openings and variations to the content (often including several peculiarities). Curiously, her titles do not appear in her shabti inscription, unlike those for her mother.

Olive-green glazed composition amulet with ribbed panel, flared base; mounted on a custom-made stand. 78 grams total, 12.5 cm high including stand



Ex Phillipps collection, with old labels to verso. Private collection of Mr T.H., Norfolk, UK.

The djed pillar signifies the concepts of 'permanence' and 'stability' and was a common funerary amulet from the Old Kingdom onwards. It was first associated with the gods Ptah and Sokar, but later became a symbol of Osiris, representing the god's backbone. In this context, the djed pillar appears in Chapter 155 of the Book of the Dead, concerned with the resurrection of the deceased.

Carved from cream-coloured Egyptian alabaster containing fine veining throughout; relatively thick walls flaring to form a wide mouth with flat-topped lip, then tapering towards the gently spreading, flat- bottomed base. 7.69 kg, 21 cm high



Acquired whilst living and working in Egypt 1920s. Private collection of a surveyor for the Air Ministry, UK, thence by descent for three generations. Private collection, UK, acquired 2011 from the UK art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11947-209448.