Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of Views of Alexandria

Square in plan with transverse piercing, obverse with three panels: the left bearing a cartouche surmounted by two plumes containing the pharaoh’s birth name, i͗Ꜥms sꜢ nt (Ahmose, son (of) Neith); the right, a similar cartouche containing his throne name, ẖnm-i͗b-RꜤ (He who embraces the heart of Re); the centre inscription reads, ḥpw Ꜥnḫ sꜢ ḥpt(?) (the living Apis, son [of] Hepet?) two with a cartouche for Amasis, text to the centre. 4.96 grams, 26 mm



Ex private collection, Germany. with Galerie Günter Puhze, Freiburg, Germany, prior to 2003. Private collection, acquired on the German art market, 2004. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13186-249203.

The three-column text arrangement closely resembles that of another rectangular spacer bead, engraved with Ahmose II’s cartouches flanking a central inscription, now held at The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (accession number 42.377). Although the central inscription differs in content, the bead’s connection to the Apis bull is shown on the opposite side, where the sacred animal is depicted. Amasis II (Egyptian: Ahmose II), fifth king of the 26th Dynasty (Saite Period), reigned c. 570–526 BC. Rising to power after overthrowing Apries, Amasis presided over a period of renewed stability and prosperity in Late Period Egypt. His reign is characterised by administrative reform, economic growth, and an active foreign policy, including close diplomatic and commercial relations with the Greek world, evidenced by Greek mercenaries in Egyptian service and the granting of Naukratis as a trading enclave. Amasis undertook extensive temple building and restoration programmes throughout Egypt, particularly at Sais, Memphis, and in Upper Egypt, consciously aligning himself with earlier pharaonic traditions. His royal titulary appears widely on monuments, scarabs, amulets, and architectural elements, often reflecting an emphasis on divine legitimacy and Maʿat. Amasis died shortly before the Persian conquest of Egypt under Cambyses II; his reign represents the final florescence of independent Egyptian kingship before Achaemenid rule.

Rectangular frieze fragment with advancing figure in profile wearing a shendyt kilt holding up two poles in his raised hands; to his rear, part of a second figure with an openwork wooden frame (footstool) and other items; mounted in sturdy wooden frame with suspension rings to the reverse; surface has been extensively cleaned, restored, and repainted. 6.8 kg, 40.5 x 32.2 cm



Mounted in an early 20th-century wooden frame bearing a stamped inscription reading “Exposition Paris …” From the collection of L.V. (1950-1960), Paris, France. Collection of Monsieur X. (1931-2017), dispersed for the benefit of the Monaco Red Cross. Private collection, Europe. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13224-249307.

The servant is carrying geese, like in many other representations of the New Kingdom. Many portrayals of ducks and geese in ancient Egyptian art show the importance of the birds as food. Servants plucking geese are visible in the tomb of Nakht, in Luxor (1567-1320 B.C.), and in the famous tomb of Nebamun, at the British Museum, a fresco fragment shows workers standing in front of a gaggle of geese.

A bifacial flint arrowhead with a pronounced hollow-base form. 2.55 grams, 35.6 mm



From the late collection of a Cornish couple, formed from the early 1990s.

Many hollow-base flint arrowheads were uncovered during excavations at Neolithic sites in Egypt, such as the Fayum region (cf. British Museum EA58736) and Merimde Beni Salama in the Delta (cf. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology UC10909).