Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, 19th to 20th Dynasty, ca. 1292 to 1076 BCE. A lovely mold-formed faience offering cup of a petite form and covered with lustrous glaze that was once blue but now exhibits a sage-green hue. The dainty cup is defined by a discoid foot, a tapered stem, a broad hemispherical cup, and an everted rim. The exterior of the cup body displays inscribed hieroglyphic symbols brought forth with blue-green glaze that name the contents of the vessel, feature the word for "eternity," and show a cartouche that likely belongs to a member of the Ramesses familial bloodline, perhaps Ramesses VI. Size: 1.375" W x 2.3" H (3.5 cm x 5.8 cm).
Faience was known as "tjehnet" to the ancient Egyptians, meaning brilliant or dazzling. It was made by grinding quartz or sand crystals together with various elements, including copper oxide, which gave it its distinctive blue-green tint. The Egyptians believed that blue faience reflected the color of the river Nile both on earth and in the afterlife, and funerary objects are often made from this material.
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private G.B. collection, New York, USA; ex-Sotheby's, New York "Antiquities" auction (June 12, 2003, part of lot 219 (hammered for $3,300); according to the Sotheby's catalog, this is thought to be from Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 1970s
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#149703
Condition
Minor nicks and pitting to foot, stem, and body, with fading to original blue glaze color, and softening to some inscribed hieroglyphic characters, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits throughout, and nice traces of original blue glaze color within vessel body. One TL drill hole on underside of foot.