Historic Collection of 794 Slides of Archaeological Sites in Egypt

Architectural fragment with two dressed faces; incised design comprising: vertical border to the left; a band of hieroglyphic text at the top; an arch enclosing a seated figure in profile wearing a tripartite wig and collar with curved beard, head cone and frond above; curved linear element meeting the end of the beard; traces of white, blue, red-brown and other pigments; chamfered edge pierced in modern times for mounting. 190 grams, 10.8 cm



From the estate of a deceased American, acquired between 1970-1989. with Bonham's, London, Knightsbridge, 28 October 2009, no.23 [part]. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

With hieroglyphic inscription, restrung pair of red stone beads, old handwritten label '1633'; accompanied by a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Cylinder Seal of Soft Black Stone, 15 x 13.5 mm. Between upper and lower rules five Egyptian hieroglyphs are engraved skillfully. The bird is 'akh', "soul", the following house, hand and wavey line, are probably a personal name Deneh or Dehen, and the remaining sign consisting of three trees or plants may be a title. This is an old Egyptian cylinder seal from the Second Dynasty, c. 2900 B.C., and the inscriptions are still in the process of being deciphered. The occurrence of "soul" suggests mortuary use, but the Egyptians made preparations for such things during life, so the owner may well have had this object during his life. It is in fine state of preservation.'; accompanied by a museum-quality impression. 6.5 grams, 14 mm



UK private collection, acquired 1980-1983. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in 1992. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Cylinder seals are typically engraved, cylindrical stone objects designed to be rolled over clay, leaving impressions of images and often text carved in reverse. In Egypt, they appeared early in the historical record, likely due to Mesopotamian influence, with the more familiar button and stamp seals becoming prevalent later, particularly during the First Intermediate Period.

Housed in five linen-covered boxes, covering Unas Teti, Memphis, Tombs of the Nobles, Meruruka, Saqqara, general Egyptian sites, jewellery, and architecture etc. 4.4 kg total, 26.5 x 16.5 x 6.5 cm each box



Property of archaeologist Stephanie Gee, N.W. London, UK, 1960s-1980s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Stephanie Gee was a prominent archaeologist who took part in several expeditions in Egypt. She was a trusted assistant to the British-Australian archaeologist Veronica Seton-Williams, who excavated in Egypt, Britain, and the Near East. Stephanie also took part in the Tell El-Farâ'în expeditions of 1965-1968, and assisted Seton-Williams with preparing the 1966 expedition report. Their collaboration continued and Stephanie helped with the manuscript of Seton-Williams’ book ‘The Road to El-Aguzein’, a narrative account of her life that was first published in 1988.