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LOT 0417
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of Reliefs at Esna
EARLY 19TH CENTURY A.D.
41 1/4 x 27 1/2 in. (187 grams, 105 x 70 cm).
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 79 from Vol .I of Description de l'Égypte : ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. entitled Esné (Latopolis) Zodiaque sculpté au plafond du portique.
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 in Upper Egypt has elements from the New Kingdom, but most of it dates to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. This elaborate zodiac dates to the reign of Ptolemy III.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0417
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of Reliefs at Esna
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
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Egyptian Blue-Glazed Faience Shabti
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Plano-convex in section with plain back, mummiform type with agricultural tools. 9.43 grams, 70 mm
Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman. -
Very Large Egyptian Bronze Oxyrhynchus Fish of Per-Medjed with Hieroglyphic Inscription
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,000
Modelled in the round on a sledge attached by ventral and pectoral fins, a forked tail, a dorsal ridge, and a tapering nose, featuring recessed circular eyes filled with enamel, a horned sun disc headdress fronted by a uraeus, and a suspension loop behind; a few hieroglyphs of a dedication remain visible on the underside of the sledge, which may be interpreted as ‘….the great give life (to)…’ (…t wr rdi͗ Ꜥnḫ t….); presumably, 'the great' followed the name of a deity, now lost. 585 grams, 17 cm
Acquired from Gallery Reiner, Paris, France, 1981. Private collection, Europe. Accompanied by a copy of French passport no.150583 dated 29 November 2013. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12375-226676.
The Medjed, a type of elephant-snout fish (Mormyrus kannume), was revered in ancient Egyptian religion, particularly in Per-Medjed, better known by its Greek name, Oxyrhynchus Polis. This version of the name, meaning "city of the sharp-nosed," reflects the fish's distinctive appearance as depicted in Egyptian art. These fish were believed to have consumed the penis of Osiris, the god who was dismembered and scattered by his brother Seth. As sacred creatures, figurines of the Medjed were often adorned with a horned sun-disc headdress worn by the goddesses Hathor and Isis, suggesting a close association with both. Some figurines, like this example, featured suspension loops, allowing them to be worn as pendant amulets. -
Egyptian Schist Cosmetic Mortar
Ptolemaic Period, 332-32 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £278
Discoid palette with rounded underside and flat base, dished central field, flat rim with four radiating trapezoidal projections. 450 grams, 16.4 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00038135.
