Egyptian coffin lid with painting
€13,900
available
Object number
AR3460
| Object: |
Egyptian coffin lid with painting
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| Material: |
Wood with white gesso and polychrome painting.
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| Period: |
Circa 2nd century BC to 3rd century AD. Ptolemaic-Roman rule over Egypt. |
| Description: |
Main part of a sarcophagus lid with a polychrome painted outside. The panel is divided into three vertically arranged areas. The upper area shows the kneeling goddess Nut with her wings spread and the sun disc above her head. A feather in each of her hands. Above the wings are four columns with hieroglyphs without a meaningful reading. The middle area shows the deceased as a mummy. He lies on a bed with lion decorations. Two canopic vessels under the bed, with another two no longer recognizable. The god Anubis with a human body and the head of a jackal stands behind the bed and embalms the mummy bandages. To the right and left of him are a Djed pillar topped with an Anch symbol. On the right edge the kneeling goddess Nephthys in a mourning position. Isis was probably once visible on the left side. In the upper part of the scene there are three columns with hieroglyphs without a meaningful reading. In the lower area there are three large columns with hieroglyphs. These signs also do not reveal any meaningful reading, but rather serve as decoration or substitutes. |
| Dimensions: |
73cm high, 39cm wide. The wood is 4cm thick at the thickest point.
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| Condition: |
The wooden panel is composed of two precisely fitting pieces, connected with long dowels when made in antiquity. The panel was cleanly separated or straightened on three sides, the fourth side is irregular. The front is still largely covered with the original painting, consisting of a dark primer, followed by a white gesso coat and on top of this the multi-coloured painting. The smaller portion of the surface that no longer shows any painting reveals some of the primer that is still attached to the wood. The layer of paint itself is relatively stable, although, as always with ancient paintings, great care is required and small new chips and flaking cannot be completely ruled out. On the back there is a modern hook at the top for wall mounting. There are two drill holes in the lower edge that could be used for a standing presentation by means of long pins.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us on the British art market in 2022. Previously in a British private collection. This piece is from the Bonhams London auction 5 October 2011, lot 41. Previously in the German private collection of Dr. Schirmer. Acquired into the collection in the 1950ies or 1960ies.
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| References: |
Cf. Museum of Fine Arts Budapest, acc. no. 51.2013.
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| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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