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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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Phoenician Stone Scarab with Inscription
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
With detailing to the carapace, the underside divided into four registers, the top and bottom with a winged Horus plaque, one register with a winged scarab flanked by two falcons, the register below with lying sphinxes flanking an ankh; pierced longitudinally. 9.7 grams, 27 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. -
Egyptian Amulet of Trussed Ibex
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Turquoise glazed faience figure of a trussed ibex, with the remains of its large curled horn, tail, facial details, and rope tie picked out in black; damaged and repaired. 11.6 grams, 63 mm
From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, a long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020.
Figurines of trussed ibexes in faience were occasionally included in foundation deposits, possibly to represent animals that were sacrificed. However, the shallow depression in the body of this animal is similar to the style of cosmetic dishes, indicating that this particular example may be a funerary object symbolising a more valuable toiletry item. -
Egyptian Alabaster Alabastron
Third Intermediate Period, circa 8th-7th century B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Ovoid jar with a rounded base, concave shoulders and flared neck/rim; remains of lug handles. 332 grams, 14 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
