A sale organised by Sue McGovern Huffman (convener of the Association of Dealers and Collectors of Ancient and Ethnographic Art) Washington DC: Young Collectors Auction of Ancient and Asian Art Sale No: 1951 March 23rd, 2019
www.sandsoftimedc.com Page: 50 of 245
Lot No: 091
LARGE WOODEN SARCOPHAGUS MASK Late Period, ca. 664 - 332 BC
Culture: Egyptian
Dimensions: Height: 22 1/4 inch (56.51 cm), Width: 22 3/4 inch (57.78 cm)
Medium: Wood
Large multi piece carved and pegged hardwood upper portion of a sarcophagus lid depicting a male dignitary wearing the royal wig and beard. Overall scattered remaining traces of the original gesso and painted surface details. Face with some remaining flesh tone surface. Ancient loss to the tip of the nose and beard, some loss to the lower left of his wig. Lower corner reattached.
Provenance: Ashraf Eldarir Collection, New York, USA, acquired by the present owner's grandfather Mr. Souaya in Egypt in 1948, thence by descent. Ashraf Eldarir's grandfather was a friend of Prince of Egypt Omar Tosson, with whom he shared a passion for archaeology. The collection was formed during the 1930s-1940s, mostly gifts from Prince Tosson. The collection was moved to the United States in 1948 and remained in their possession until the present day.Estimate: $12,000 - $18,000
And how would a dealer with the reputation of 'Sands of Time' go about verifying that? Did they? Does the buyer have a copy of that documentation?Also on sale in Catawiki and in 2018 in Lot-Art.
Better visible in the back view is how this item was created by sawing the top off a mummy case to make it more transportable. When was this done? What happened to the human remains? Where is the rest of the coffin? Is this what the Association of Dealers and Collectors of Ancient and Ethnographic Art consider ethical and 'preservation'?
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