Egypt

A collection of items from Egypt, spanning its long history of pharaohs, pyramids, and cultural richness. These pieces reflect the civilization’s monumental achievements.

Bedouins Rest Near the Pyramids of Giza, ethnographic photograph of Bedouins resting with the pyramids in the background, 1890s

Bedouins Rest Near the Pyramids of Giza (1890s CE)

Documents Ethnographic Photography

The image invites the viewer to reflect on contrasts: movement and permanence of the Bedouins, desert survival and ancient stone marvels and everyday life unfolding beside timeless monuments at Giza.

Egyptian Mummy Seller, black-and-white or sepia historical photograph of a mummy seller in Egypt, 1875

Egyptian Mummy Seller (1875 CE)

Documents Historic & Iconic Photography

Depicting an egyptian street vendor surrounded by mummified bodies and artifacts for sale, this image evokes the era's fascination with Egyptomania, blending curiosity, exploitation, and a disregard for cultural heritage.

Double-Sided Votive Relief from Ptolemaic Egypt in carved limestone

Double-Sided Votive Relief (305-30 BCE)

Antiquities Ceremonial & Religious Egyptian Europe

This small double-sided votive relief, also known as a sculptor's trial piece or model, is a finely carved limestone flake (ostracon) from ancient Egypt during the Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE).

Egyptian painted wood model figure of a man, Middle Kingdom

Model Figure of a Man (1980–1801 BCE)

Antiquities Africa Ceremonial & Religious Egyptian

Despite its modest size, the figure of a man offers a vivid entry point into Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife, where images were not merely symbolic but actively participated in ensuring eternal existence.

Stela of Pasherienimhotep, Egyptian limestone funerary monument, 145–100 BCE

Stela of Pasherienimhotep (145-100 BCE)

Antiquities Africa Ceremonial & Religious Egyptian

In ancient Egypt, stelae ensured the deceased’s memory and sustenance in the afterlife through offerings of bread, beer, and meat. This one, dedicated to Pasherienimhotep is a well preserved gem.

John Collier, Pharaoh’s Handmaidens, oil on canvas, 1883

Pharaoh’s Handmaidens (1883 CE)

Art John Collier Painting Preraphaelite

A vibrant Pre-Raphaelite oil painting portraying young women in a romanticized ancient Egyptian court of the pharao.

Jean-Léon Gérôme, The First Kiss of the Sun, oil on linen mounted on wood, 1886.

The First Kiss of the Sun (1886 CE)

Art Jean-Léon Gérôme Painting

This oil painting transports viewers to the Egyptian desert, where the interplay of light and shadow on the ancient monuments evokes a sense of timeless wonder.

Paint Box of Vizier Amenemope (1427–1401 BCE)

Antiquities Africa Egyptian Tools and Implements

A boxwood paint box from Egypt’s New Kingdom, inlaid with Egyptian blue, crafted for Vizier Amenemope’s artistic pursuits.

Egyptian canopic jar with falcon head lid, 664–525 BCE

Canopic Jar With Falcons Head (664-525 BCE)

Antiquities Africa Ceremonial & Religious Egyptian

A travertine canopic jar from 664–525 BCE, topped with a falcon-headed lid symbolizing Qebehsenuef, crafted to safeguard intestines for the Egyptian afterlife.