Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0011
Two Egyptian Cylindrical Alabaster Jars
EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 3100-2900 B.C.
2 1/2 - 4 1/2 in. (1 kg total, 6.4-11.5 cm high).
The larger with rounded rim, concave body and flat base, the smaller with cylindrical body and flat disc rim. [2]
Provenance
Mary Stout Shaw (1880-1962); thence by direct descent to the present owner.
Accompanied by a copy of a 1976 family photo featuring some of the collection on display, the larger kohl jar is clearly visible on a 1976 family photo.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12198-220885.
Literature
Cf. Aston, B.G., Ancient Egyptian Stone Vessels: Materials and Forms, SAGA 5, Heidelberg, 1994, pp.102-3, nos.31-32, for similar vessels.
Footnotes
Mary Kilgour Stone was born in 1880 in Cincinnati, Ohio. On 25 November 1903, she married Percy Wyfold Stout from Gloucester (DSO, OBE, 1875-1937), who had moved to Cairo after an international rugby career.
After fighting in the First World War, Percy became the Director of the Egyptian Delta Land Company and the Anglo-American Nile Tourist Company. He and Mary were friends with the famous Major Gayer-Anderson, who worked as a doctor on the company’s cruise boats between 1930 and 1939. Gayer-Anderson tells in his memoir how this allowed him to make frequent trips to Upper Egypt and fulfil his passion for collecting (and dealing in) ancient Egyptian art.
In his company, Mary became an enthusiast about all things Egypt and formed an elegant collection of ancient Egyptian alabaster vessels,
including the following lots. She was particularly fascinated with the ancient cat goddess Bastet. Therefore, when Gayer-Anderson decided
to give his famous ancient bronze cat to the British Museum in 1939, he made sure the donation was in both his name and Mary Stout Shaw’s,
as a tribute to their friendship.
VETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Egyptian Faience Bead and Amulet Group
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Comprising tubular and annular beads in blue, green and cream colours, the upper half of two Tawaret amulets, a fragmentary wedjat eye, the lower half of a seated figure, probably Isis, and a complete amulet of the god Shu. 22 grams total, 2-21 mm
From an early 20th century Home Counties, UK, collection. -
.jpg)
Egyptian Stone Stela with Royal Offering Scene
Ptolemaic Period, 3rd-2nd century B.C.Estimate: £18,000 - 24,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £7,778
Round-topped stela with decoration on two registers; the lunette, featuring a winged sun disk with pendant uraei; the main panel with a frieze in sunk relief depicting the pharaoh wearing the double crown, facing left offering the hieroglyphic symbol for 'fields'; a goddess stands behind him, possibly Isis, wearing a tight-fitting robe and sporting a tall two-plumed headdress, with one hand raised in praise; facing the pharaoh is the falcon-headed god, possibly Horus or Her-wer, wearing a double-crown, and behind him stands the ibis-headed Thoth wearing the Atef crown, both gods hold a was-sceptre; repaired, mounted on a custom-made stand. 19.45 kg total, 55 cm including stand
Acquired in the mid-1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. 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 search certificate number no.12200-222172.
The overall tripartite composition is comparable to numerous stelae of the Ptolemaic Period and can be dated to the 3rd-2nd century B.C. The decorative lunette and/or sky bands and bold sunk relief winged sun disc are characteristic of this period, as is the fringed detailing of the female’s garment. The offering of the ‘field’ symbol is also a frequent depiction of the stelae of this period, which can be understood as a ‘catch-all’ device representing an offering of all the produce from the fields. Such stelae were often produced as stock products to which clients would have their names and other details added. Therefore, the stela is likely an example of a stela awaiting a purchaser. After the purchase, the hieroglyphic labels would be added to the figurative tableau, and a dedicatory text would be carved into the plain rectangle in the lower part. Sometimes, however, it appears that a purchaser could not afford the additional expense of a professionally engraved inscription, and so would scratch a short dedication in the lower panel as seen, for example, in the stela for Horudja from the Delta site of Tanis and now in the Musée du Louvre (inv. no. AF 11682). -
Egyptian Lapis Lazuli Son of Horus Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Carved amulet of the baboon-headed mummiform figure of Hapy shown standing with dorsal pillar, pierced for suspension. 2.52 grams, 28 mm
Private collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, 1990s, thence by descent.
The Four Sons of Horus were deities responsible for protecting the internal organs of the deceased. The baboon-headed Hapy protected the lungs.
