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LOT 0004
Egyptian Wooden Fowl-Roasting Scene
11TH-12TH DYNASTY, 2010-1960 B.C.
12 1/4 in. (980 grams total, 31 cm wide).
The scene comprising: a thick rectangular base with gessoed surface; squatting male figure in a white kilt with modelled hair and painted facial details, the hands drilled to accept the handles of tools; a wooden spit with impaled carcass of a roasting fowl in the left hand; a small fan in the right hand; a squat fire-bowl with rounded rim and recess to the upper edge.
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1960s.
From the collection of the late Egyptologist Surgeon Commander PHK Gray RN.
From a Surrey, UK, collection.
Accompanied by a scholarly note from 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.202932.
Cf. Barker, G., Preparing for Eternity, Oxford, 2022, p.61, fig.2.31; Taylor, J.H., Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, London, 2001, pp.99-103, for discussion.
FootnotesCrafted for the tomb to accompany the deceased and provide for him in the afterlife.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
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Egyptian Wooden Mask
Late Dynastic Period, after 500 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Wooden face from a coffin lid, D-shaped in plan with large almond-shaped eyes, holes for mounting pegs; accompanied by the original dealer's ticket from Phocion J. Tano of Cairo with handwritten description and signature 'Small masque of wood of the end of the Saïtic Period some four hundred years B.C. It is found close to the pyramid of Meïdun and it is genuine guaranteed and nothing ticked. It is as is found. Cairo the 14/4/65.'; mounted on a custom-made stand. 357 grams total, 20.8 cm high including stand
Ex Phocion J. Tano, Cairo, Egypt, 1965. Phocion Jean Tano (1898-1972) belonged to a family dynasty who founded and ran one of the oldest antiquities shops in Egypt, located in front of the old Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo. From a private UK family collection. Accompanied by an original handwritten and signed card receipt dated 14 April 1965 from Phocion J. Tano Antiquities Gallery, Cairo, Egypt. -
Romano-Egyptian Lapis Lazuli Dice
Roman Period, 30 B.C.-323 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
Ring-and-dot markings disposed 1:6, 2:5, 3:4. 4 grams, 12 mm
Rare.
From an early 20th century UK collection. -
Collection of Egyptology Letters, Documents and Photographs
Early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
Comprising: original typescript (some carbon copies) and manuscript documents in Arabic, French and English relating to Egyptian archaeological sites and matters, including requests for permits to visit sites, together with several telegraph forms including a permission for a visit to the tomb of Tutankhamen on 13 February 1923 and requests for similar permission; together with seven monochrome photographic prints depicting Egyptian sites. 245 grams total, 9.5-30 cm
Ex Hans Nilson collection.
The names of numerous luminaries of Egyptology of the late 19th and early 20th century found in these documents, besides their significant contributions to our knowledge of ancient Egypt, also held important administrative roles in Egypt's Antiquities Service and the Cairo Museum. They include: Victor Loret (1859-1946), who served as Director General of the Egyptian Antiquities Service from 1897-1899; Émile Brugsch (1842-1930) served as Keeper in the Cairo Museum from 1883-1914; Reginald Engelbach (1888-1946) served as Chief Inspector of Upper Egypt for the Antiquities Service in 1920 and Keeper in the Cairo Museum from 1931-1941; Gustave Lefebvre (1879-1957) served as Inspector of Middle Egypt for the Antiquities Service from 1905-1914 and Keeper in the Cairo Museum from 1926-1928; James Quibell (1867-1935) served as Inspector of the Delta and Middle Egypt for the Antiquities Service from 1899-1904, Luxor 1904-1905, and Saqqara also in 1905. He was Keeper in the Cairo Museum from 1914-1923 and Secretary-General of the Antiquities Department from 1923-1925; Pierre Lacau (1873-1963) served as Director of the Antiquities Service from 1914-1936. When the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in 1922, Lacau ensured that its entire contents were secured for the Cairo Museum (much to the chagrin of Howard Carter and the Earl of Carnarvon); Howard Carter (1874-1939), although famous for discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, earlier served as Chief Inspector of Antiquities of Upper Egypt from 1899-1905. The name most frequently occurring in the documents is that of Paul Tottenham who served as Advisor to the Ministry of Public Works in Egypt, including a telegram he sent to Howard Carter on 15th February 1923 requesting that he attend a meeting with the Minister (of Public Works), presumably on matters concerning the tomb of Tutankhamun.
