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LOT 0452
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of the Hypogees Papyrus Manuscript from Thebes
EARLY 19TH CENTURY A.D.
40 3/4 x 27 1/2 in. (226 grams, 103.5 x 70 cm).
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 60 from Vol.II 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 Thèbes. Hypogées. Manuscrit sur papyrus.
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 papyrus manuscript was recovered from an underground tomb chamber (hypogeum). The text is written in hieratic, a cursive form of hieroglyphic script often used for religious papyrus documents. The main scene shows the judgment of the dead before a tribunal led by the god Osiris. The scales compare the deceased's heart against the feather of Maat. If they balance, the deceased gains entry into the eternal afterlife; if not, the fearsome Ammut creature devours the heart, and the deceased ceases to exist.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0452
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of the Hypogees Papyrus Manuscript from Thebes
Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
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Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
Circa 4th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Comprising: terminal part of a clavus connected by a thin band to the missing orbiculus in red granate and coarse linen, S torsion, embroidered with stylised birds and palmettes; fragment of fabric, embroidered with two segments, in black, red granate and white wool, over a coarse linen background; the internal part of the segments decorated with motifs of running hares, the linen background with opposed running black hares. 61 grams total including package, 23-23.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The clavus and orbiculus ornamented a tunic of white linen, often given to soldiers or member of the military class. The stylised birds possibly represent swans. -
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Comprising: a fragment of a clavus in coarse linen and dark brown wool, tapestry, with remains of a medallion embroidered with a lion running right; fragment of an orbiculus in linen and yellow and blue wool, S torsion, embroidered with vegetal and geometric patterns; two terminal fragments of a clavi, in red, green, dark blue and white wool. 58 grams total including package, 8.6-19.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
These are decorative parts of tunics. The lion orbiculus in particular stands out for its delicate design and hunting theme. Dionysus and his entourage were often depicted on these tunics, despite the fact that these fabrics were produced in a by then heavily Christianised empire. -
Egyptian Mummy Glass Eye
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Comprising a blue glass frame with extended tear duct, inset with a white sclera and a large black pupil. 8.02 grams, 62 mm
Acquired in London or Japan, early 1980s. Property of a London, UK, gentleman.
