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LOT 0449
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of Thebes
EARLY 19TH CENTURY A.D.
40 7/8 x 27 3/8 in. (341 grams, 103.8 x 69.5 cm).
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 1 entitled Thèbes. Plan général de la portion de la Vallée du Nil qui comprend les ruines, Volume II, Plate 1.
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).
CONDITIONTimeLine 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
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LOT 0449
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of Thebes
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
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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. -
Egyptian Marble Head of a Queen
Ptolemaic Period, 323-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
Modelled in the half-round in Hellenistic style with a stephane and centre-parted hair, serene facial features including hooded eyes and pert lips; mounted on a custom-made wooden display stand. 313 grams total, 10 cm high (14.3 cm high including stand)
Ex Hanna Saba collection, Ambassador to Egypt-USA-France (1909-1992). Private European collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12083-218194.
The head is similar to various portraits of Ptolemaic queens, some of them identified as belonging to the famous Berenice II (246-222 B.C.), some others to Cleopatra VII Philopator (69-30 BC), the lover of Julius Caesar, the spouse of Mark Anthony and the last Queen of Egypt. The analogies with Berenike II’s portrait are noteworthy, especially with the portrait in the Cairo Museum (inv.JE 39517): the diadem and its position on the top of the head, similar physical features, and similar roundness of the cheeks. -
Large Mounted Egyptian Coptic Textile
Circa 5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
Possibly a fragment of a cloak, wool on linen, S-twist tapestry, decorated with a band of lanceolate leaves and two bigger opposed leaves in red, green and yellow colour. 345 grams total, mount: 86.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
A. Gayet, who excavated the Necropolis of Antinoe, showed that the cloaks of Coptic-era nobles could be ornate, with decoration applied or woven into the fabric. Realised in dark blue, red, orange, yellow, green, brown and off-white linen and wool, the leaves are usually positioned inside a central medallion, also lanceolate, divided by a small leaf surmounted by a flower.