Ancient Egyptian Art

[Pavel]

At Drouot regularly sold Egyptian curiosities, and return no one is going. Everything goes into private collections.

[Виктор Солкин]

Сообщение от Tjutchev

It is interesting to know your opinion on this particular issue. And do you think about other museum collections in this context. In the press these questions are raised quite regularly still. I mean the requirements of Egypt to European museums for the return of previously exported items.

This topic has been raised at the forum (in the broader context): http://forum.artinvestment.ru/showth...C %D1%88%D0%B0

In my opinion, it all depends on the concrete monument.
For example, recently returned to Egypt Louvre painting, cut illegally from the tomb Tetiki. This is the right thing.
When we speak, as is the case with the statue of Hemiunu, the monument, which was found in 1912 by Hermann Junker, Giza and absolutely legally left Egypt at the same time, in my view, claims Egypt is totally unfounded. Actually, the fear of the German side are not groundless, since one of the representatives of the Egyptian side, whose name is not specified, said that "we would not agree only on the time of exposure, if not there were negotiations that the statue has returned to his true home in good. In response to the suggestion that a formal request for the return of the monument, Egypt did, the same man said that "there is no need for a government official sign the request. It is logical - to return to Egypt that belongs to Egypt."
Ie situation is not simple. Again, my position is that the issue of each monument should be considered separately. If the cause, for example, to return to the Louvre Denderskogo Zodiac no, despite the fact that the French vandals cut down its heavily damaged the upper sanctuary of Osiris in the temple of Hathor at Dendera, the question of the return of the bust of Nefertiti to Egypt must go - it really was taken illegally in Germany and to the recently found new evidence.
Naturally, we're talking about on the monuments of national importance, of course, I do not see any sense in otsmatrivanii, for example, auctions with a view to confiscation of: it is illogical and confusing, there is practically no monuments of this kind. All the famous masterpieces illegal, around which unfolded after the scandals, not bought at auction, but with hands. For example, this is the unfolding story of the famous mask ladies Kainefernefer, which made Egypt severed relations with the Museum of Saint Louis
In general, this is a big and difficult topic. On Restitution now say a lot, while in Egypt and all the new the Antiquities Act, passed. In this context, those monuments which are timely and legally caught in private collections, including in Russia, the more meaningful and valuable. I think the demand for them should be very seriously grow in coming years.

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Сообщение от Pavel

At Drouot regularly sold to the Egyptian curiosities, and return no one is going. Everything goes into private collections.

We are talking about the monuments of an entirely different level. For example, the head of the statue of Amenhotep III, contained in the enclosure, and sold at some time in the U.S. for $ 1.5 million, has caused its appearance to a huge process, in which several people were jailed for a serious term, Frederick Schultz - an adviser to Bill Clinton vntikvariatu was removed from office and ransomed by a miracle, but Egyptian law on restitution was first used in the U.S.. Incidentally, it was on it recently in Rhode Island was arrested sarcophagus priest Imesi (also in enclosure), ukotory recently returned to Cairo. Alas, it is unwise trend, since both of the monument have comparable value - sarcophagus Imesi good, but common, widespread and nothing supernatural, as opposed to the king's portrait of himself is not. And the criminality of his, ny fact, never been proven, in contrast to the head.

[Виктор Солкин]

Сообщение от Pavel

At Drouot regularly sold to the Egyptian curiosities, and return no one is going. Everything goes into private collections.

We are talking about the monuments of an entirely different level. For example, the head of the statue of Amenhotep III, contained in the enclosure, and sold at some time in the U.S. for $ 1.5 million, has caused its appearance to a huge process, in which several people were jailed for a serious term, Frederick Schultz - an adviser to Bill Clinton vntikvariatu was removed from office and ransomed by a miracle, but Egyptian law on restitution was first used in the U.S.. Incidentally, it was on it recently in Rhode Island was arrested sarcophagus priest Imesi (also in enclosure), ukotory recently returned to Cairo. Alas, it is unwise trend, since both have comparable value of the monument - sarcophagus Imesi good, but common, widespread and nothing supernatural, as opposed to the king's portrait of himself is not. And the criminality of his, ny fact, never been proven, in contrast to the head.

[Виктор Солкин]

Upcoming in June auction of antiquities at the "Sotheby's in New York quite impress with their Egyptian section, in fact, are the monuments are not the first magnitude, and selecting them for part of the review, I proceed from the principle of better to have something than nothing . Apparently, a similar principle guided and auction house. Particularly amusing is against this background it seems that as the most important monument of Egyptian art at the tender declared "amarnsky talatat", allegedly depicting Queen Kiya, even the authenticity of which, not to mention the quality of execution, is of great skepticism. Incidentally, the dating of Egyptian monuments in these trades - generally a big problem, they are either inaccurate or their scope is very broad in cases where much more precise date of creation works well, you can specify.

Of interest. One of the two lots of really interesting - it is a bronze head of a goddess (for some reason the directory is called "Isis", although that attribution is no reason) that was once the pommel stern sacred portable boat of the goddess. On these boats a cult statues of deities committed how - "vossiyanie", leaving the Holy of Holies in the temple profane the world during the holiday. The height of the monument - 14 centimeters, lost piece in the form of cow horns and solar disc between them, which was once installed on the root modius crowning a tripartite wig. Also lost Urey on the forehead of the goddess and its inlaid eyes and eyebrows. Perhaps drawing dress Nereta - wings of the sacred vulture, which covers a wig, as was once encrusted with other metals. Despite the lost inlay, or the goddess is very lively, interesting and different simulated perfectly preserved. The dating period of the reign XXVI-XXX Dynasties seems preferable. The statue was purchased in Rome in 1950, estimeyt - $ 10-15 thousand

From Karnak, apparently, is part of the framing of the doorway, made of sandstone. It was once part of the entrance to the sanctuary of Osiris-Wow, founded by the king Taharqa. On the lintel kept three images: Isis facing Osiris, the king Taharqa, bringing victims of Osiris and Nephthys, and, finally, Ra-Horahte and man, leading Taharqa to Osiris. The height of the monument - 43,2 cm, width - 96,5 cm monument, interesting both from epigraphic point of view, and from religious studies, comes from Australian private collections, his estimeyt - $ 10-15 thousand

In one of the galleries of Brussels in 1967, was purchased by a sculptural portrait of the king XXX Dynasty, most likely, Nektanebus I, which is now exhibited at the "Sotheby's". At the king wearing a headscarf Nemesia, height of the monument - 24,8 cm, it is made of gray granite. Estimeyt - $ 50-80 thousand

At the auction are two statues of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, one of them - better made, the second - almost completely preserved. Dwell on the second - anthropomorphic, zapelenutoe deity in the high corona liver, with a broad necklace useh, stands on a pedestal, decorated with signs of power YAG and signs of eternal life Anh. The height of the statue - 74,9 cm, dated monument Ptolemaic times. His estimeyt to "Sotheby's" - $ 10-15 thousand

Board XXII-XXVI dynasty dates back to a small bronze figurine of a sacred cat, height 13,3 cm figurine is hollow, since it serves as reliquaries to hold parts of the mummy of the sacred animal. Judging from the surviving traces of gilding, it was a very revered sacred animal, a considerable wealth donator, who could afford such a gift. The monument, originally from the collection of German poet and playwright Alexander Drea (1890-1965) is in urgent need of restoration and, in general, has very good proportions, despite the corrosion of the silhouette of an animal referred to master perfectly. Estimeyt - $ 5-8 thousand

The second lot of trades that are really interesting - a miniature stele depicting Horus-baby crocodile. Above the choir - the traditional head Besa protecting the divine infant in swamps Ah-Bit. On the reverse side of the stele, made of greenish serpentine, - a short hieroglyphic text to the security mantra. The height of the stele - 5,8 cm, it dates from the XXX dynasty and comes from the famous Cairo Collection Maurice Nahman, sold after the death of the owner in 1953. Monument perfectly executed, especially considering its tiny size and, like all the so-called "Zippy Choir" was used for the consecration of water, or simply as an amulet for protection from any evil. Estimeyt - $ 5-8 thousand

Finally, completing this brief review, will focus more on the mask anthropomorphic sarcophagus is quite usual, made from wood and painted, but just very beautiful. The monument, originally from an old German collection dates from Dynasty XXII; tripartite black wig deceased painted ocher: transferred strand of hair and a flower water lily - a symbol of rebirth - from which there fruit Persia - a tree dedicated to the cult of Ra. Perfectly modeled face, narrow eyes, let down a clear cosmetic lines traced by the level of his performance the best examples of the late New Kingdom, but still different from them. The person who died is colored in green, associated with Osiris and eternal life. The height of the monument - 40,6 cm, estimeyt - $ 7-10 thousand

(C) Victor Solkin
(C) photo - sothebys.com

[Виктор Солкин]

This mask, which has become due to the controversial history of its appearance in art-space one of the most famous monuments of ancient Egyptian art, was found in 1951, Egyptian archaeologist Mohammed Zakaria Ghoneim at Saqqara in the study of incomplete pyramidal complex King III dynasty Sehemheta. The area of the archaeologists have discovered many more recent graves.

"The most interesting was the burial tomb of a noble woman named Kainefernefer, which means" Beautiful Double Ka "- wrote Ghoneim. - Her body was not embalmed, but simply wrapped in a mat of palm leaves. The head and shoulders covered realistic painted and gilded mask covered with plaster cloth and cardboard. She was also a necklace of glass beads, simulating semiprecious stones, amulets of green feldspar and glass in front of her were, and figurines - alabaster, wood and steatitovye ... "Mask dated to the time of the Board XIX dynasty and the specifics of the burial, the mat and talked about that the deceased may have been Libyan.

Mask remarkably good its realism, proportions and amounts. Face ladies are gilded with copper content in gold and metal oxide gives it a reddish hue. Extended inlaid glass eyes summed imitations of cosmetic lines. Lips mask covered with red-yellow pigment, which was once the foundation for more intensive gilding. Massive wig with a remarkably made from a thick layer of resin with double strands of hair framing the face, decorated with a bandage, which dangles encrusted glass flower water lily from which the visible fruit of the tree of Persia - the symbol of rebirth and the Sun God.

Shoulders ladies covered a broad necklace, from the visible chest, decorated with floral ornaments and hanging between flower water lily. Under the chest shows the volume pectoral in the form of boat of Osiris, where the front of the deity to be very Kainefernefer. In the hands of masks - traditional symbols of Osiris and Isis Jed - 'tet', together symbolizing the sacrament of the posthumous transformation of the deceased. At the top of the mask are damaged, which, however, do not distort the overall look of the monument and not diminish its artistic value.

Museum of St. Louis bought the mask Kainefernefer - chief masterpiece of its Egyptian collection - in 1998 in Geneva Gallery "Phoenix", owned by famous art dealer, brothers Abutaam. It soon became clear that the monument left Egypt illegally, along with some other works of art disappeared during robbery archaeological storage at Saqqara in 1980. Since then, the mask that turned first in Belgium, and then - in Switzerland, had several owners. At present the Museum of St. Louis refused to meet the insistence of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Egypt and return the mask to his homeland.

On the complex history of the mask, which came illegally to the European antique market and which requires the return of Egypt

[Кирилл Данелия]

Sotheby's Antiquity
June 11, 2010, New York.
Final sale: 17,479,938 USD

http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot..._number=N08644

[fross]

And why there was such a multiple excess initial assessment of these lots, the amount they gave more than 4 /5 of the final amount of the auction?

[Кирилл Данелия]

and a bust of Athena, and the torso of the Emperor-rare thing ... museum-quality .. and, in this case - fine. and, not least - with a good provenance.

But three times the left not only they but also the relief of the 18 th Dynasty and tsikladsky idol, for example ... By the way, Cyclades 5t recent years has shown an incredible increase in the price.

[Тютчев]

Accuracy in egiptologicheski

famous statement "Science can be divided into natural and unnatural, alternately attributed to Lev Landau, the Abram Ioffe, something else to some great Soviet physicist. In fact, this phrase uttered vice president of the Academy of Sciences Vladimir Steklov, founder of the Institute of Physics and Mathematics. For some reason, much less remember the answer to this remark of the historian Sergei Platonov: "No, sir, to the public and antisocial."

This swordplay two great scientists soon a hundred years. Post factum, we may assume that won her Steklov, at least in regard to public attitudes toward science. During this time the humanities now and then had to prove that what they are doing - this is also a science, even though they do not build giant reactors and colliders, do not send people into space, not create new materials and weapons of the future and do not cure the deadly disease.

Modern social sciences owe the natural sciences and mathematics. Without mathematics nowadays unthinkable nor economics, nor sociology, nor even many philological methods. Physicists, chemists, biologists, historians, astronomers have learned new ways of dating, especially dendrochronology and radiocarbon analysis. Classical humanities these methods are considered by the subsidiary, as they can determine only the outer "binding" events, not their essence - the main subject of interest in humanities.

A recent joint study by Cambridge and Oxford scientists who undertook to re-examine key dating the history of ancient Egypt with the help of radiocarbon analysis and mathematical modeling can be considered as an example of such an auxiliary function of natural science methods in the humanities.

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Egyptologists are three great periods in the history of civilization in the Nile valley: Predynastic (IV millennium BC) dynastic (XXX-IV century BC) and Hellenistic (IV-I century BC). First period - a primitive culture and the beginning of the formation of something resembling the state, and the last - time from the Macedonian to Roman conquest, when Egypt was gradually lost their cultural identity. Ancient Egypt in the narrow sense of the dynastic period of Egypt is considered, in which, in turn, divided into three eras: Ancient, Middle and New Kingdom. The dates of each of these periods shall be established on the basis of comparative analysis of the surviving written evidence (ie, stick to the historical and philological criticism), with emphasis on astronomical phenomena described - eclipses, comets and other observations of phenomena that modern astronomers good at whatever date.

Start the Old Kingdom is associated with the reign of Pharaoh Djoser, builder of the first known pyramid. The beginning of his reign, historians have put in quite a broad chronological framework - 2667-2592 BC. However, in 2000, Cambridge Egyptologist Kate Spence (Kate Spence) published in the journal Nature article, which argued that Djoser ascended the throne some 75 years later, arguing that the astronomical data on the position of stars for which the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom have targeted the pyramid . At the same time Spence declared that the radiocarbon method is powerless to clarify this date, since its error is 100 years and more.

A team of researchers led by Christopher Bronk Ramsey (Christopher Bronk Ramsey), head of the Oxford radiocarbon laboratory analysis, decided to still try. To help the physics and chemistry, mathematics called - namely, Bayes theorem, the classical formula of probability theory, which allows to estimate the probability of one event under a certain probable conditions (as such terms were the results of radiocarbon dating, by definition, controversial).

Obtained thus marking the beginning of the Board Djoser was not too much biased on the chronological scale, and also with a large "fork": 2691-2625 BC. In the same way Ramsey and colleagues peredatirovali beginning of the New Kingdom (get "fork" from 1570 to 1544 BC), the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II (1297-1273 BC instead of the traditional 1279-1212) and the Tutankhamun (1353-1331 instead of 1333 -1323).

When Kate Spence reported on the results of Ramsey, she said: "I am more than happy to agree with them. The ancient kingdom - a crucial period because it is the earliest historical period in which to get stricter dating to count them on the historical chronology" .
 
All this makes little difference in our knowledge of ancient Egypt: significance for the history of world civilization, Imhotep as the first architect of the pyramid and Zoser as a customer for its construction, Ramses II as a conqueror, and the tomb of Tutankhamun as a unique specimen preserved burial of the pharaoh does not depend on whether they lived half a century earlier or later.

By the way, an archaeologist Bryuins Hendrik (Hendrik Bruins) from the Israeli Ben Gurion University, commenting on the results obtained by Ramsey and colleagues, complained that they were unable to clarify the dating of the most famous in the history of a volcanic eruption (not counting, of course, Eyyafyatlayokudlya ... just kidding) - the so-called Minoan. This grand cataclysm was one of the most important milestones in the history of the Mediterranean, destroying or predetermining the decline of civilizations Aegean Sea island (including Crete). To him, every now and then trying to tie the birth of a wide variety of ancient myths and legends - from the destruction of Atlantis (which in this version, is associated with the Minoan civilization or civilization Cycladic islands) to the Biblical legend of the ten plagues and how the Red Sea opened before Moses. Because of insecurity and mutual antagonism of written and astronomical data, the results of radiocarbon analysis and other data, this event is placed into a temporary "plug" in two or even three centuries (from the XVII to the XV century BC).

So, the plagues. Analysis of the Biblical tradition, a recent group of German biologists and climate scientists - is another example of how natural scientists helping (or trying to help) historians. Their approach is clear: everything has a scientific explanation, and the myths were created because the ancient people, unable to find him, came up with a supernatural explanation. In this case, the scientists explained the 10 struck Egypt disasters described in the book of Exodus, only two natural phenomena: drought and volcanic eruption (thus Minoan).

No doubt, such an explanation - an entertaining intellectual exercise. Very often "naturalists" throw themselves with such explanations for the widespread myth of the Deluge. However, they usually do not realize the limits of their theories, taking more or less ingenious conjecture about an event that could give impetus to the birth of the myth, for an explanation of the myth. Meanwhile, the myth - is more than just fairy tales, excuses that come up with adults on the move in response to countless children "why?" And the mythological consciousness does not necessarily need any external stimuli, to produce the myths - look at least for Scientologists, even for a conspiracy. The internal logic of mythology can not be explained in such a "square-hill" way.

All this does not diminish the value of a new independent scientific dating of ancient Egyptian history, the multi-Ramsey, or the Germans guessing about the primary source of the myth of the ten plagues. It would be worthwhile only to understand their limitations. After all, if history is to history, we still would have been satisfied annals. And if to explain the myth was plausible enough to find it "natural" explanation, then no religion for a long time would not exist.
 
What is radiocarbon analysis

The method of radiocarbon dating is based on the analysis of radioactive carbon in organic materials (bones, tissues, papyrus, parchment, and the like). During the life of the organism it accumulates radioactive isotope of carbon C-14. After the death of the carbon exchange stops. C-14 decays, and the stable isotopes of carbon saved. Knowing the ratio of stable and radioactive carbon in the material, as well as the decay rate of the last (number of C-14 is reduced by half over 5730 years), we can determine the age of the material. To do this, however, have to burn to coals fragment studied material. By this method, an American, Willard Libby, who got him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1960. Recently proposed a gentle method of radiocarbon analysis, which does not require the destruction of the sample material.

Artem Efimovhttp://www.lenta.ru/articles/2010/06/19/dating/

[Виктор Солкин]

February 12 Minister of Archaeology of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Zahi Hawass announced the list of monuments of world importance, which nevertheless had been stolen from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo during the riots. Among the losses of the museum - the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian art, included not only the fund's most famous exhibits of the famous congregation, but very familiar to anyone who was interested in the art of ancient civilizations.

First of all we are talking about a significant loss among the monuments discovered in 1920 by Howard Carter in the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings. Stolen wooden gilded statue of the goddess Menheret holding in her arms embalmed king wearing a crown of Lower Egypt, stolen upper part (torso) of the famous statue of Tutankhamun, shown standing on a ceremonial boat with a harpoon in hand. Severely damaged monuments of windows on the art of Amarna - epoch of religious reformer Akhenaten and his wife, the beautiful Nefertiti. It is known that disappeared one of the most famous images of Akhenaten - the statue of the king in a blue crown from the altar in his hands, made of limestone and painted, also disappeared statue of Nefertiti, sacrifice, the head of quartzite statue of the princess, the daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, who was considered one of the most striking sculptural portraits of the museum's collection. Abducted eleven statuettes, ushebti designed to work for the soul of the deceased in another world (they are made of cedar wood, gilded and painted), found in the tomb of nobles Iuyi, great-grandfather of Tutankhamen and his wife Tuya. Gone are the statuette of one of the clerks of the court of Akhenaten, as well as the scarab, once placed on the heart area mummy lords Iuyi. And this is in addition to those masterpieces that were damaged by looters and just thrown into a museum about the broken windows.

"Unfortunately, it is difficult to assume, will we see once again these monuments, some of whom, judging from the remaining fragments in the museum, considerably damaged, - told a REGNUM president of the Association for the Study of Ancient Egyptian President Solkin. - These things can be found later by the Egyptian authorities, as a matter of fact, they are priceless, and sell monuments, published in thousands of books on ancient Egyptian art, will be almost impossible. The question is, what state they are found and can they be restored. Do not forget that the statue of Tutankhamun on a boat vandals simply tear off the top, but with the help of another statue of Tutankhamun on a black leopard, which miraculously remained in the museum and, despite the loss, subject to restoration, looters broke the windows of the museum. The most unfortunate scenario would happen if these monuments will be transported abroad and sold in closed private collections, so - forever lost from sight as to legalize the purchase of such dubious owner will never be able to. Let us hope for the best. Also on the background of surprised that some Russian media have not really relevant to a number of Russian scientists, which, apparently, not having accurate information about the incident, claim that the Egyptian museum monuments did not suffer. "

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