Romano-Egyptian Terracotta Toad Oil Lamp

Three substantial fragments from blue-painted vessels, two with stylised floral motifs and one with a fragment of figurative decoration. 300 grams total, 8.3-13.2 cm



Acquired circa 1979. From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s.

The distinctive blue colour on these pottery fragments derives from a cobalt-and-aluminium slip that reacts during firing. The designs could incorporate floral, geometric, and figurative motifs (for an illustrated discussion of the technical production of blue-painted pottery, see Seyfried, F. (ed.), In the Light of Amarna: 100 Years of the Nefertiti Discovery, Berlin, 2012, pp. 132-135.

Slender olive-green mummiform shabti wearing a lappet wig and a false beard, with arms crossed, the left hand holding a pick and the right a hoe and the cord of a seed bag, which hangs from the back shoulder; with nine horizontal bands of deeply incised hieroglyphs on the lower body, giving the Book of the Dead spell and the names of the owner, Hornakht, and his mother, Nefertyti; supplied with a two-page printed report covering the transliteration and translation of the text; mounted on a custom-made stand with an old 'Ancient Egyptian B.C.900' label. 80.9 grams total, 16 cm high including stand



From the estate of a deceased Sussex private collector since the early 20th century. Accompanied by a copy of an illustrated academic report with translation by Simone Musso.

With incised anatomical detailing on the body, the underside bears the hieroglyphs rꜤ-n-rꜤ. 2.04 grams, 17 mm



Acquired from various London-based, UK, antiquity dealers. From a Derbyshire gentleman's private museum formed from the late 1970s-early 1980s.