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LOT 0048
Egyptian Wooden Sarcophagus with Falcon Mummy
LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-31 B.C.
19 1/2 in. (2.3 kg, 49.5 cm).
Two-part wooden (sycamore?) falcon-headed mummiform coffin carved from a single piece of wood, with a tripartite wig and human ears, painted detailing to the eyes, and broad decorative collar; the whole covered with black paint with traces of yellow decoration and inscriptions; inside a mummified falcon wrapped in linen strips.
ProvenanceEx R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s.
Accompanied by a copy of an old collection inventory note.
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 a search certificate number no.12074-218220.
Cf. Raven, M.J., ‘Corn Mummies’, Oudheidkundige Mededelingen uit het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden te Leiden 63 (1982), pl. 4A, for a comparable black-painted falcon-headed coffin with yellow decoration.
FootnotesThis falcon-headed coffin once contained a so-called 'corn mummy' - a mummiform effigy impregnated with grain, which germinated. Such 'corn mummies' were associated with Osirian regeneration, fertility, and rebirth concepts. The falcon-headed coffin was associated with the powerful funerary deity Sokar-Osiris or Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. It seems that the original contents of this coffin were either lost or discarded and replaced with a mummified bird (falcon?). Interestingly, the most significant number of falcon-headed coffins come from Tuna el-Gebel, the site of an extensive animal mummy necropolis.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Hardstone and Faience Necklace
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £450 - 650 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Comprising groups of three oval carnelian beads with interstitial biconvex and annular beads, a turquoise faience ribbed tubular bead and an irregular polyhedral carnelian centrepiece. 35 grams, 70 cm
From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020. -
Egyptian Carnelian Eye of Horus Amulet
Circa 1000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
With exceptional eye detailing carved in low-relief to one face. 1.64 grams, 19 mm
Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an old collection inventory note.
The wedjat-eye amulet is a representation of the healed eye of the god Horus, featuring both human and falcon elements. The name wedjat in ancient Egyptian means ‘the one that is sound.’ According to Egyptian mythology, Horus' eye was wounded or taken by the god Seth and restored by Thoth. The wedjat-eye amulet was thought to protect its wearer and bestow the power of recovery and regeneration onto them. It was very popular and used by both the living and the dead. -
Large Egyptian Faience Amulet of the Goddess Isis
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
The goddess dressed in a long tight-fitting tunic to her ankles, standing with her left leg forward, her straight arms descending to her thighs; vulture headgear surmounted two long feathers; dorsal pillar with hieroglyphic text; repaired. 50 grams, 14 cm
Private collection Mr E. Saad, Cairo, Egypt-Montreux, Switzerland, 1970s. Ex private collection of Mr S.A., acquired from Mr Saad in 1997.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Isis was the sister-wife of Osiris and the mother of the sky god Horus. She is associated with aspects of fertility and motherhood. This amulet unusually depicts her with a two-plumed crown, which may associate her with the goddess Sothis.
