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LOT 0422
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of the Hypogees Papyrus Manuscript from Thebes
EARLY 19TH CENTURY A.D.
41 1/4 x 27 1/4 in. (235 grams, 105 x 69.5 cm).
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 64 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. 4eme partie.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American priest.
Acquired between 1981-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
Cf. reprint of the whole work in Various, 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, Köln, 1989, pp.238-239.
FootnotesProduced 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). This includes a scene (bottom right) depicting the weighing of the deceased's heart before Osiris's divine tribunal. The heart is balanced against the feather of Maat, and the ibis-headed Thoth records the verdict. If the heart fails to balance, it is devoured by a fearsome creature called Ammut, and the deceased would cease to exist.
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LOT 0422
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of the Hypogees Papyrus Manuscript from Thebes
Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
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Romano-Egyptian Agate Scarab Engraved with the Goddess Fortuna Mounted in a Gold Ring
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Scarab with incuse image to the underside of Fortuna with cornucopia and ship's rudder; in later gold swivel ring. 4.34 grams, 22.63 mm overall, 19.34 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. -
Egyptian Bifacial Steatite Amuletic Plaque with Cartouches for Tuthmoses III
New Kingdom, circa 1479-1425 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Amuletic bead, bifacial with designs: Side A - cartouche for Tuthmoses III with ankh, lion couchant, crown and other motifs; Side B - cartouche as on Side A with perching birds above and below. 2.93 grams, 18 mm
Ex John Cummings Ltd., Lincolnshire, UK. From the private collection of a Canadian gentleman living in Essex, UK, formed since the 1920s-circa 1990. Property of an Essex lady until the late 1990s; thence by descent. From the private collection of an Essex gentleman since the late 1990s. Accompanied by an old information card. -
Egyptian Rock Crystal Locust Pendant
New Kingdom, circa 1400–1292 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £650
Carved in the round with closed wings and a slightly curving body, pierced through the body for suspension. 3.7 grams, 26 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The depiction somewhat resembles a cicada, although this would be very rare in ancient Egyptian plastic arts. The grasshopper and the locust were known in Egyptian as sꜣnḥm or snḥm. Although the insect was often depicted in Old Kingdom tomb scenes, it appeared in various other forms of visual art, such as amulets, cosmetic vessels, and beads, only during the New Kingdom, when it served as a symbol of regeneration.
