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Pectoral of Meret-it-es

CultureEgyptian
Dateca. 380-250 B.C.E.
MediumCartonnage (linen or papyrus covered in plaster), paint, and gold leaf
DimensionsOverall: 12 3/4 × 17 inches (32.39 × 43.18 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust (by exchange)
Object number2007.12.4.A
On View
On view
Gallery Location
  • 102
Collections
DescriptionPectoral terminating in falcon heads; a protective deity with outstretched wings below. On cartonnage for abdomen and thighs, four sons of Horus; below four seated deities including Isis and Nephthys. Hieroglyphs lightly incised.Provenance

Probably found in Hermopolis Magna [1];

 

Sayed Mohammad Khashaba (Pasha), Assiut, Egypt [2];

 

By inheritance to Osman Sayyed Khashaba, Assiut, Egypt, 1953-1972 [3];

 

Purchased from Khashaba, through Ahmad Fahmi Ali Fahmi, Cairo and Hagop Ohan Simonian, Cairo, by Münzen and Medaillen A.G., Basel, 1972;

 

Purchased from Münzen and Medaillen A.G. by Michael Emil, by 1976-December 31, 1998;

 

Purchased from Emil by Millenium Art Holdings Ltd., Jersey, Channel Islands, December 31, 1998-September 30, 2005;

 

Purchased from Millenium Art Holdings Ltd. by the dealers Noele and Ronald Mele, Westport, CT, September 30, 2005-2007;

 

Purchased from Noele and Ronald Mele by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2007.

 

NOTES:

 

[1] Based on hieroglyphs that appear on the front of the inner coffin.

 

[2] The provenance of the Meret-it-es Assemblage was presented by Millenium Art Holdings Ltd. in the District Court of Berlin in Berlin-Charlottenburg, November 15, 2005, reference number 9 O 511/05 and in the Superior Court in Berlin-Schöneberg, October 16, 2006, reference number 10 U 286/05.

 

[3] According to the documentation of the proceedings referenced in note 2, Osman Sayyed Khashaba gave Ahmad Fahmi Ali Fahmi power of attorney to sell the assemblage on his behalf on November 13, 1969. Ali Fahmi in turn granted a delegated power of attorney to Hagop Ohan Simonian on November 15, 1969 and contracted him to sell the objects.
Published References

Kathleen Garland, Johanna Bernstein, and Joe Rogers, “Raising Meret-it-es: Examining and Conserving an Egyptian Anthropoid Coffin from 380-250 BCE,” Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 54, no. 1 (2015): 102.

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.


Apron of Meret-it-es
ca. 380-250 B.C.E.
2007.12.4.B
overall oblique
ca. 380-250 B.C.E.
2007.12.2.A,B
side A overall
ca. 380-250 B.C.E.
2007.12.1.A-C
recto overall
ca. 380-250 B.C.E.
2007.12.3
Amulets
664-200 B.C.E.
33-156
Relief of Ka-aper and Tjenetet
ca. 2494-2487 B.C.E.
46-33