Lot no. 462
EGYPTIAN IVORY AND WOOD COSMETIC VESSEL IN THE FORM OF A GRASSHOPPER.
Late 18th Dynasty, Ca. 1350 - 1340 BC. A cosmetic container carved in the form of a grasshopper with a segmented body and upper wings made from painted ivory. The head is inset with black eyes and the lower wings are rendered in wood. The wings swing outward to reveal a small oval cavity hollowed into the body intended to hold kohl or perfume. The upper wings are decorated with a subtle checkerboard pattern. Previously part of the Guennol Collection, this collection also included the Guennol Lioness, the most expensive ancient object ever sold at auction ($57.2 million at Sotheby's). Size: 21.9mm x 88mm; Weight: 19.7g Provenance: Prince collection, 1990s-2014, acquired on the US art market, 2007 from Merrin gallery (original invoice to accompany the purchase); Ex. Collections: Howard Carter, London; Joseph Brummer, New York; Guennol Collection, New York; Private Collection, USA. exibited: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1969; ex. The Brooklyn Museum Bulletin, X.1, 1948. Originally sold for 1.2 million USD, original invoice to accompany the item. Published: The Brooklyn Museum Bulletin, X.1, 1948, pp. 1ff., figs 1-4, ill. Cover. Aldred, “New Kingdom Art in Ancient Egypt Durnig the Eighteenth Dynasty: “1590-1315 BC”., London, 1951, no 97; C. Singer, E.J. Holmyard, and A.R. Hall, EDS., “A History of Technology. Exhibited: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1969; The Guennol Collection: Cabinet of Wonders at the Brooklyn Museum of art, February 25- May 7, 2000; On exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum from 1948 - 2002. Accompanied by an Ivory Act 2018 certificate. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with an Art Loss Letter - Search no. S00259386.