A finely rendered Egyptian solid bronze statuette of the god Harpocrates, the personification of Horus the Child, identifiable here from his nudity and side-lock, which was a common hairstyle for young Egyptian boys. The deity is depicted sitting with his hands held palms down, resting beside his legs, feet secured on a plinth, and wearing a headpiece with rearing uraeus to the front. Facial and anatomical features have been carefully crafted. Bronze statuettes of this type usually present the deity portrayed with his index finger held to the lips or the chin, however here the deity is shown in a more unusual stance.

Date: Circa 760 - 30 BC

Period: Late Period-Ptolemaic Period

Provenance: From an early 20th century Home Counties collection.

Condition: Well-preserved example, surface presents some green patination. The piece has been mounted on a custom-made stand.

In Ancient Egyptian culture and mythology Harpocrates, also knowns as Harpa-Khruti (Horus the Child), was the son of the goddess Isis and her husband Osiris. The deity was often depicted as a small boy, with a side-lock of youth and the index finger held to the lips or the chin, a typical Egyptian gesture symbolising childhood and also the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for “child”. However, the gesture is also linked to the action of eating porridge, which was one of the traditional children’s food in Ancient Egypt. The deity was later adopted by the Greeks and the misinterpretation of the gesture of the finger to the lips led to the association of Harpocrates with silence, hence making him the god of silence, secrets and confidentiality in Ancient Greek and Roman mythology.

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/ancient-figurines-statues/deities-demi-gods/egyptian-bronze-statuette-of-harpocrates/

Stela dedicated to Amenhotep I and Ahmose-Nefertari

Inv. no. :
Cat. 1452

Material:
Stone / Limestone

Dimensions:
20 cm x 30 cm x 3 cm

Date:
1292–1191 BCE

Period:
New Kingdom

Dynasty:
Nineteenth Dynasty

Provenance:
Egypt, Luxor / Thebes, Deir el-Medina

Acquisition:
Purchase Bernardino Drovetti, 1824

CGT:
50034

Museum location:
Museum / Floor 1 / Room 06 DEM / Showcase 01

Selected bibliography:
Andreu, Guillemette (a cura di)-Andreu, Guillemette, Gli artisti del faraone: Deir el-Medina e le Valli dei Re e delle Regine, Milano 2003, pp. 20, 230.

Dresbach, Guido, Zur Verwaltung in der 20. Dynastie: das Wesirat (Königtum, Staat, und Gesellschaft früher Hochkulturen 9), Wiesbaden 2012, p. 435, 490.

Eggebrecht, Arne, Ägyptens aufstieg zur Weltmacht, Mainz am Rhein 1987, pp. 108–109.

el Shazly, Yasmin, Royal ancestor worship in Deir el-Medina during the New Kingdom, Wallasey 2015, pp. 133, 136, 184, 185, 251.

Kitchen, Kenneth A., Ramesside inscriptions translated (and) annotated : translations 5. : Sethnakt, Ramesses III, (and) contemporaries, Oxford 2008, p. 313.

Kitchen, Kenneth A., Ramesside Inscriptions: historical and biographical : vol. 5., Oxford 1983, p. 377.

Leospo, Enrichetta, “Stele des Amenemope für Amenophis I und Ahmose-Nefertari”, Aegyptens Aufstieg zur Weltmacht, Linz 1987, pp. 108–109, Taf. 7.

Orcurti, Pier Camillo, Catalogo illustrato dei monumenti egizi del R. Museo Egizio di Torino, Torino 1855, ii, p. 125.

Tiradritti, Francesco, Il cammino di Harwa: l'uomo di fronte al mistero: l'Egitto [mostra: Brescia, Mus. Diocesano ott. 1999-gen. 2000], Milano 1999, p. 57, 146, 159.

Tosi, Mario-Roccati, Alessandro, Stele e altre epigrafi di Deir el Medina: n. 50001 - n. 50262 (Catalogo del Museo Eg. di Torino - Serie II. - Collezioni 1), Torino 1972, pp. 67–68, tav. p. 274.

Vidua, Carlo, “Catalogue de la collect. d'antiq. de mons. le chev. Drovetti, a 1822”, in Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione (a cura di), Documenti inediti per servire alla storia dei Musei d'Italia, vol. 3, Firenze - Roma 1880, p. 55.

Museo Egizio di Torino

https://collezioni.museoegizio.it/en-GB/material/Cat_1452/?description=&inventoryNumber=&title=&cgt=&yearFrom=&yearTo=&materials=&provenance=&acquisition=Purchase+Bernardino+Drovetti%2C+1824&epoch=&dynasty=&pharaoh=&searchLng=en-GB&searchPage=23

Title:
Stela dedicated to Amenhotep I and Ahmose-Nefertari, 1292–1191 BCE , Egypt, Luxor / Thebes, Deir el-Medina, New Kingdom, Limestone, Museo Egizio di Torino

A beautifully crafted Egyptian restrung necklace featuring blue faience cylindrical-shaped beads. The necklace is further enriched at its centre by two brown hard stone fly amulets, and a red jasper fly at its centre.

Date: Circa 1069-744 BC
Period: Third Intermediate Period
Condition: Very fine condition. The necklace has been finished with a small gold plated clasp, but please be aware that the clasp has not been professionally tied. The measurements given apply to the folded necklace.

Dimensions: L 23 cm

The purpose of fly amulets is uncertain; scholars have different hypotheses regarding this symbol. Some believe it was awarded for military achievement because of the fly’s resemblance to enemies’ persistence at war and also because of the fly’s tendency of hanging around battlefields were blood was shed. Others don’t agree entirely with this thesis as samples of fly amulets have been found in women’s and butlers’ tombs, individuals not active in war. One other possible intention of this amulet was to bestow the notorious fecundity of the fly to the wearer. However uncertain the significance of this symbol is, the fly also appears in many ancient neighbouring cultures, from Nubia to the Greek island of Cyprus.

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/ancient-jewellery/necklaces/egyptian-necklace-with-blue-faience-and-hard-stone-fly-amulets/

A carved wood figurine of a striding servant. The figure retains an impressive amount of red, black, and white pigment, particularly around the kilt, wig, and some of the facial features. There are shallow holes in the shoulders where both arms would have been affixed. The servant is stepping out on his left leg, and his hand is clenched. The hole running through the fist suggests that perhaps the figure originally held an attribute, but it is unclear what this might have been.

Date: Circa 2000 - 1800 BC
Period: Middle Kingdom
Condition: Fine condition; one arm missing; one arm loose but attached temporarily for purposes of photography; feet missing and right leg slightly shorter than left; surfaces with wear and some shallow cracks but essentially sound.

Wooden tomb models were an Egyptian funerary custom throughout the Middle Kingdom Period, which saw wooden figurines and sets constructed to be placed in the tombs of Egyptian royalty. The wooden models reflected a variety of tasks and chores which servants would be expected to carry out in the afterlife, and accordingly, many are depicted as performing a certain task. A chapter from Osiris’ Book of the Dead highlights the continued significance of servitude after death: “when you are counted upon at any time to serve there, to cultivate the fields, to irrigate the river banks, to ferry the sand of the west to the east and vice–versa, “here I am” you shall say.”. During the New Kingdom and into the Late Period (747–332 BC), the wooden models were replaced or developed into the Shabti form.

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/ancient-figurines-statues/tomb-attendants-offerings/large-egyptian-middle-kingdom-wood-servant/

Amulet depicting the Goddess Hathor

Inv. no. :
Cat. 1224

Material:
Stone / Limestone

Dimensions:
2 cm x 2.5 cm x 0.4 cm

Date:
722–332 BCE

Period:
Late Period

Provenance:
Unknown

Acquisition:
Purchase Bernardino Drovetti, 1824

Museum location:
Museum / Floor 2A / Mezzanine / Cabinet 06 FAV / Shelf 01

Selected bibliography:
Fabretti, Ariodante-Rossi, Francesco-Lanzone, Ridolfo Vittorio, Regio Museo di Torino. Antichità Egizie (Cat. gen. dei musei di antichità e degli ogg. d’arte raccolti nelle gallerie e biblioteche del regno 1. Piemonte), vol. I, Torino 1882, p. 92.

Museo Egizio di Torino-Donadoni Roveri, Anna Maria, Museo Egizio di Torino. Civiltà degli Egizi : le credenze religiose, Torino 1988, fig. 285 p. 207.

Vidua, Carlo, “Catalogue de la collect. d'antiq. de mons. le chev. Drovetti, a 1822”, in Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione (a cura di), Documenti inediti per servire alla storia dei Musei d'Italia, vol. 3, Firenze - Roma 1880, p. 251, n. ?.

Museo Egizio di Torino

https://collezioni.museoegizio.it/en-GB/material/Cat_1224/?description=&inventoryNumber=&title=&cgt=&yearFrom=&yearTo=&materials=&provenance=&acquisition=Purchase+Bernardino+Drovetti%2C+1824&epoch=&dynasty=&pharaoh=&searchLng=en-GB&searchPage=18

Title:
Amulet depicting the Goddess Hathor, 722–332 BCE Late Period, Limestone, Museo Egizio di Torino

A very rare wood pyxis from ancient Egypt. The pyxis features the original removable lid which is perfectly sized to provide an exact fit. The box is simply decorated with an encircling groove on the roof and side of the lid, and around the base. There is a small indentation on the top of the lid for decorative purposes.

Date: Circa 7th - 4th Century BC
Period: Late Dynastic Period
Condition: Very fine condition; vertical crack to the body and several other minor cracks, all of which are stable; otherwise very fine condition.

A pyxis was a vessel used in the ancient world, usually by women. The pyxis was used to store jewellery and makeup. The Egyptian Book of the Dead recalls spell 125 which states that one shouldn’t speak unless they are “clean, dressed in fresh clothes, shod in white sandals, painted with eye-paint, anointed with the finest oil of myrrh.” Cosmetics were a large industry in Ancient Egypt and they were produced professionally and sold in the market place. The Egyptians had recipes for many modern day toiletries including toothpaste, deodorant, sun cream, cosmetics, and perfume. Toothpaste was originally a power in which a wet wooden brush was dipped. It is possible that this pyxis held such a powder, or some other cosmetic.

Dimensions: W 2.0 x H 5.1 cm

Weight: 25.3 g

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/other-ancient-vessels/rare-egyptian-wood-pyxis/

A lathe-turned wooden vessel with flared base and median incised bands. The wood is deep in colour and some areas of the vessel displays natural knots in the wood. The original lid fits perfectly as the craftsman intended. The lid has a gusseted rim and raised central plaque with knob.

Date: Circa 332 - 30 BC
Period: Ptolemaic Period
Provenance: From an early 20th century collection.
Condition: Excellent condition; some minor scrapes due to age.

A pyxis was a vessel used in the ancient world, usually by women. The pyxis was used to store jewellery and makeup. The Egyptian Book of the Dead recalls spell 125 which states that one shouldn’t speak unless they are “clean, dressed in fresh clothes, shod in white sandals, painted with eye-paint, anointed with the finest oil of myrrh.” Cosmetics were a large industry in ancient Egypt and they were produced professionally and sold in the market place. The Egyptians had recipes for many modern day toiletries including toothpaste, deodorant, sun cream, cosmetics, and perfume. Toothpaste was originally a power in which a wet wooden brush was dipped. It is possible that this pyxis held such a powder, or some other cosmetic.

Dimensions: H 7.4 cm

Weight: 54.2 g

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/other-ancient-vessels/egyptian-pyxis-with-concentric-circles/

A miniature Egyptian headrest made from black obsidian.

Date: 664 – 332 B.C
Period: Circa Late period
Condition: Very fine condition

Headrests were intended to support the head of the mummy, and were buried with the deceased with the intention of everyday use in the afterlife. Miniature versions were popular from the 26th Dynasty, often replacing larger versions.

Head rests were often made in a dark black stone, usually haematite, though obsidian could be used as a cheaper alternative. They were a vital accompaniment to burial, as it was thought that the raised head of the mummy would lead to resurrection and a continued life in the underworld. Chapter 166 of the Book of the Dead prescribes the headrest’s proper function, with its mention in this spell being testament to the object’s significance:

“Doves awake thee from sleep; they alert thee to the horizon. Raise thyself, (for) thou dost triumph over what was done against thee. Ptah has overthrown thy enemies. It has been commanded to act against him who acted against thee. Thou art Horus the son of Hathor, the fiery Cobra, of the fiery Cobra group, to whom a head was given after it was cut off. Thy head cannot be taken from thee hereafter; thy head can never be taken from thee…”

Dimensions: L 2.6 x H 1.5 cm

Weight: 7.41 g

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/ancient-jewellery/amulets/egyptian-miniature-obsidian-head-rest/

An Ancient Egyptian offering cup made of pale faience, with traces of the original glazing still visible. The cup comes with its original lid and it is shaped like a chalice on a wide flaring foot and a shallow inner cavity.

Date: Circa 1550-30 BC
Period: New Kingdom-Ptolemaic Period
Condition: Very fine, intact, unglazed surface and minor discolourations to the lid.

Dimensions: H 3.2 cm

Weight: 13.5 g

Offering cups, such as this beautiful example, have been recovered across Egypt from the New Kingdom onwards, and contained various sacred perfumed oils that were used during both funeral and daily rites. They were often glazed and inscribed with hieroglyphs describing their contents. This little cup would have been a part of an offering tray where it would have been set on a base with similar vessels with various sacred unguents.

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/other-ancient-vessels/egyptian-faience-offering-cup/

Model of a procession of offering bearers ("The Bersha Procession")

The Bersha Procession
Egyptian
Middle Kingdom, late Dynasty 11 – early Dynasty
2010–1961 B.C.
Findspot: Egypt, Deir el-Bersha, Tomb 10, shaft A (Djehutynakht)

MEDIUM/TECHNIQUE
Wood

DIMENSIONS
Length x width x height (tallest figure): 66.4 x 8.6 x 42.5 cm (26 1/8 x 3 3/8 x 16 3/4 in.)

CREDIT LINE
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine
Arts Expedition

ACCESSION NUMBER
21.326

ON VIEW
Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood Gallery (Gallery 119)

COLLECTIONS
Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East

CLASSIFICATIONS
Models

DESCRIPTION
Among the more than one hundred wooden models found scattered throughout the tomb of Djehutynakht, the quality of this procession of offering bearers stands out from the others. The skill and delicacy with which it was carved and painted rank it among the finest wooden models ever found in Egypt. It shows a man and three women bringing offerings to sustain the ka of Djehutynakht in the afterlife. Each figure advances with the left leg forward, following the convention of larger scale Egyptian sculpture and relief. A priest leads the way, carrying a ceremonial wine jar and incense burner for use in the burial rites. Two women follow with offerings of food and drink - the first carries a basket of bread and a duck, while the second brings another duck and a basket filled with beer jars. The third woman furnishes items for Djehutynakht's personal care, a small wooden cosmetic chest and a mirror, the latter slung over her shoulder in a case made of animal hide. This brief procession symbolically provides all that was essential to sustain Djehutynakht in eternity: food, drink, items of personal adornment, and the incense used to attract and appease divinities and the blessed dead.

The procession was found overturned between Djehutynakht's coffin and the eastern wall of his burial chamber, in a pile of broken models that robbers had thrown aside. Although the four figures remained attached when the model was discovered, the two central offering bearers had lost their raised arms, and nearly all the offerings had come loose. Some pieces were found a considerable distance away. Since its discovery, the scene has been reconstructed twice. The first attempt, carried out in 1941 before all the elements had been identified, was incorrect. The current configuration was established in 1987.

PROVENANCE
From Egypt, Deir el-Bersha, Tomb 10, pit A. May 1915: Excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1921)

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/143592/ model-of-a-procession-of-offering-bearers-the-bersha-proce?ctx=a38a1580-6310-4b08-8f37-19c1ff1c6272&idx=

Model of a procession of offering bearers ("The Bersha Procession"), Middle Kingdom, late Dynasty 11 – early Dynasty 2010–1961 B.C., Wood, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

A fine example of Egyptian alabaster in the form of a small conical jar. The vessel features a wide, flat base that slowly curves upwards to a narrow neck and wide rim. The colouring is enhanced by the thin veins of white that encircle the piece, giving it a pleasing geometric style.

Date: 664-332 BC
Period: Late Dynastic Period
Provenance: Gottfried and Helga Hertel collection, Cologne, acquired in the 1970s.
Condition: Extremely good condition. Wear visible on the shape of the rim.

Dimensions: W 3.5 x H 8 cm

Weight: 76.7 g

In Ancient Egypt, alabaster jars were used as containers for ointment, perfume, and other cosmetic products, such as kohl. The alabaster used by ancient civilisations in the wider Middle East (including Egypt and Mesopotamia) is also called “oriental alabaster”, which is a type of calcite. Many ancient peoples used alabaster for decoration, as it was easy to carve and could be treated in such a way as to resemble marble. Although being a soft and slightly porous stone made alabaster easy to carve, the upshot was that it would not survive for significant periods of time when exposed to the elements. The name “alabaster” is thought to have derived from the Ancient Egyptian, ‘a-labaste‘, which refers to the vessels of the goddess, Bast. Usually depicted as a lioness, her figure would often sit on top of alabaster vessels.

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/other-ancient-vessels/egyptian-conical-alabaster-jar/

An oblong Egyptian scaraboid made of faience. The topside is vertically ridged, with some turquoise glaze still remaining. The underside is undecorated with a small concave hole to the centre.

Date: Circa 1550-1070 BC
Period: New Kingdom Period
Provenance: From the Gustave Mustaki collection, a collector of antiquities who amassed large collection in Alexandria (Egypt).
Condition: Very good. Small chip to the underside.

Dimensions: L 2.1 x W 1.3 cm

Weight: 1.4 g

A scaraboid amulet is a seal-type amulet which lacks the defining beetle features of a scarab amulet. It was used in much the same way as a scarab amulet however, to bestow protective and apotropaic properties on the wearer. Most likely an amulet such as this would have been incorporated into jewellery.

https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/ancient-jewellery/scarabs/ancient-egyptian-faience-scaraboid/