Sold for $5,670

Sold prices are inclusive of Buyer’s Premium

Lot Description

An Egyptian Alabaster Duck-Shaped Cosmetic Dish

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, 1550-1307 B.C.

Height 5 inches (12.7 cm).

Property from a West Hollywood Collection

Provenance:
Mrs. Scharrelmann, Germany, acquired in the 1980s.
Plakas Auction, London, Property of a European Lady Collection, 22 April 2022, Lot 135.

Ornate open-face dishes in animal form were likely ritualistic in nature, to be used in a temple or tomb setting. Although this object is classified as a cosmetic dish it could have alternatively functioned as a spoon. In ancient Egypt, it was believed that after the Opening of the Mouth ritual, mummies were able to eat again and were offered food. Some Egyptologists have suggested that dishes such as this example were not cosmetic, but actually utensils used to feed the dead.

For comparative examples, see J.V. d’Abbadie, Catalogue des objets de toilette égyptiens-Musée du Louvre Département des Antiquités Egyptiennes, Éditions des Musées nationaux, Paris, 1972, and Princeton University Art Museum, New Jersey (Inv. no. y1949-18).

Condition Report

Inspected under UV light, 10x loupe, and acetone tested. Encrustations throughout the front, back, head, and tail; encrustations lift with acetone. Possibility of enhanced patina where parts fluoresce under UV light. Surface wear, as is typical with age. Accompanied by a modern black metal stand, not permanently affixed. Height with stand 6 inches (15.24 cm). Overall in fine and stable condition.

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