Lot 5
Egypt, probably late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 1539 to 100 BCE. A large, fine alabaster table with a hollow, flared foot and thick flat surface. This piece was made to hold offerings in a tomb. Alabaster was quarried along the length of the Nile, from Giza to just south of Luxor. Offering bowls like these were used in temples and placed in the tombs of people at all class levels. For example, Auguste Mariette, the famous French Egyptologist of the 19th century, found a cemetery for the poor in Memphis where the dead had been buried without wrappings only three feet below the ground -- but each had a small alabaster bowl and some animal bones, as they had been given food and drink for the afterlife. Meanwhile, kings were buried with many vessels and other dining accoutrement, often of the highest quality. These vessels were necessary to provision the dead during their time in the underworld. A table this luxurious would have been made for an elite Egyptian. Size: 15" W x 5" H (38.1 cm x 12.7 cm)
Provenance: Ex-Simonian collection, Switzerland, acquired before 1983
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#117731
- Condition: Missing about 12% of plate, repaired from 13 large pieces, some restoration over the joins
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $25,000 |