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LOT 0526
Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of Reliefs at Esna
EARLY 19TH CENTURY A.D.
41 3/4 x 13 3/4 in. (106 grams, 106 x 35 cm).
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 79 from Description De L'Égypte : Ou, Recueil Des Observations Et Des Recherches Qui Ont Été Faites En Égypte Pendant L'expédition De L'Armée Française. Seconde Edition. Dediee Au Roi, entitled Esné (Latopolis). Zodiaque Sculpté Au Plafond Du Portique. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American priest.
Acquired between 1981-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
Produced between February 1802 and 1830 on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte; published between 1809 and 1828. Just 1,000 copies were distributed to various institutions, printed on laid paper with an 'Égypte ancienne et moderne' watermark. The book is subtitled Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’Armée française, publié par les ordres de Sa Majesté l’Empereur Napoléon le Grand (Gathering of observations and discoveries which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French army, published on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great). It was the world's first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the remains of ancient Egypt. The plates of this book are the first to present the archaeological sites of Thebes (Luxor). The Temple of Khnum at Esna, visible today, is mostly of Ptolemaic and Roman date. The decorative zodiac dates to the reign of Ptolemy III.
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Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
An orbiculus in coarse linen and green wool, S torsion, embroidered with the image of putto with holding a box and looking left, surrounded by tondos ornamented with vegetal embroidery, borders decorated with floral elements. 11 grams total including package, 88 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The iconography of this fragment is called "Nilotic," as it depicts plant and human elements linked to life on the Nile River. These images are very recurrent on Coptic textiles. Weavers created patterns that allowed them to reproduce these motifs on any type of fabric (curtains, tassels, clothing). -
Egyptian Amulet Collection
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Comprising two crouching Bastet cat figures, a hare, a fly, and a simplified Anubis. 1.56 grams total, 10-15 mm
with Archaeologia, Switzerland, before 1983. Ex private North American collection. London private collection, 2016. -
Large Mounted Egyptian Coptic Textile
Circa 5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
Possibly a fragment of a cloak, wool on linen, S-twist tapestry, decorated with a band of lanceolate leaves and two bigger opposed leaves in red, green and yellow colour. 345 grams total, mount: 86.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
A. Gayet, who excavated the Necropolis of Antinoe, showed that the cloaks of Coptic-era nobles could be ornate, with decoration applied or woven into the fabric. Realised in dark blue, red, orange, yellow, green, brown and off-white linen and wool, the leaves are usually positioned inside a central medallion, also lanceolate, divided by a small leaf surmounted by a flower.
