North African More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture

From the Old Kingdom onwards, many descriptive wall reliefs and paintings can be found depicting the production of various stone vessels . We can infer from these portrayals that the...

Anubis the God of Death is among the most iconic gods in ancient Egypt and people during this time knew him as Anpu or Inpu. Anubis is among the oldest deities whose mentioning can b...

Strikingly similar to the Romano-Egyptian Ram currently in the Met this piece depicts a ram, with a highly textured and naturalistically modelled coat, curled horns and a static forw...

This statuette represents the goddess Taweret, an apotropaic goddess, whose domain was the protection of pregnant women and their babies, especially during childbirth. Her threatenin...

An Ushabti is a funerary figurine used throughout ancient Egypt, placed in a tomb to aid as a servant to the deceased, conducting manual labour for them...

The XIX Dynasty of Ancient Egypt was part of the Egyptian New Kingdom and was founded by Vizier Ramasses I, whom Pharaoh Horemheb chose as his successor to the throne. The XIX Dynasty is best remembered for its military conquests in the lands of Canaan. The relative peace of the XVIII Dynasty gave way to a century of wars, which produced art that attempted to maintain ancestral traditions in order to claim its dynastic lineage and succession to the throne.This large serpentine statue tells of the prominence of administrative art during this period. The figure is an ushabti, a funerary statue that would have been placed in a tomb among the grave goods of the inhabitant, intended to act as a servant for the deceased in the afterlife. The ushabtis would be called upon to perform their menial tasks, each figure's purpose is often attested to by objects in their hands, such as bread-baker holding grain or farmer holding a scythe, and they would be donated by the workers of the deceased to fulfill their roles for them in death. Hieroglyphics could often also be found running the length of their legs giving further clues to their roles and stating whom they intended to work for. These inscriptions were called answers and asserted the figures readiness to be summoned to the gods work The practice of placing ushabtis inside tombs originated in the Old Kingdom, with the earliest evidence from the middle of the third millennium B.C. when they buried next to mummies[2]. They are normally miniature in size, of hard stones such as limestone, granite or serpentine (and occasionally of faience or bronze), and produced in multiples to provide the important deceased with an army of workers. Sometimes so many were produced that they world cover the entire surface floor of a tomb. Due to this commonness, many extant examples survive, in varying qualities, and as a collection of artifacts they provide a unique insight in to the fascinating death customs of the Ancient Egyptians, highlighting their very real belief in an eternal afterlife.This beautifully carved statue holds hoes and a seed sack, indicating they were destined for manual toil in the eternal afterlife amongst the fields growing grain to produce food for the interred. Another agricultural implement with crisscrossing ropes is tucked in to the back of the figure's kilt, making sure he is ready for any farming situation necessary. He wears a long-sleeved shirt with a long pleated kilt, which has a large over-fold and broad beaded collar. He also wears a double wig composed of zig-zags and echeloned curls, and his face has a slightly aquiline nose, with almond-shaped eyes a fixed, determined gaze.A column running the length of his over-fold contains five lines of hieroglyphic inscription that name the owner of the worker (Kenj), and recite chapter VI from the Ancient Egyptian Book of...

This vessel, carved in the form of a wild duck, would have served the purpose of a cosmetic vessel or 'toilet spoon'. Comprised of three individual sections, the head is attached to the base with a collar of bone, and the movable lid is secured by a bone pin...

An exceptional and large pair of Islamic Middle Eastern ceramic tiles with Quran verses, 20th century. Each set with 35 ceramic tiles, measuring 6? x 6...

From an old Moroccan collection comes this unusual handcrafted silver ornament "Hamsa" including its hand chiseled Jewish Star of David pierced central design. The Hamsa hand or h...

A stunning handmade jewelry box. The craftsmanship on this beautiful piece is amazing. The wood box is entirely encrusted in genuine mother-of-pea...

Elegant Moroccan caftan embroidered charcoal grey color with gold threads. Circa 1970s. This long maxi dress kaftan features a traditional Egyptian neckline, with side slits and embe...

A 19th century brass decorated Islamic Qalamdan. The Qalamdan is in solid brass, decorated on all sides with Egyptian scenes. It consists of an inkwell and a pen compartment of typic...