Egyptian antiquities for period homes

Egyptian antiquities were always a favourite of  travellers doing the Grand Tour, particularly in Victorian times and something no period home of a certain age should be without. Rupert Wace Ancient Art, one of London’s leading dealers in antiquities is exhibiting at this year's Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair. On offer is a select group of works of art from Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire dating back some five millennia.

My favourite, pictured above, is a fragment that dates from the Late Dynastic Period, 26th Dynasty, 664-525 BC, and shows part of an inscription. These hieroglyphs read ‘for those which are in…’. The quail chick is the hieroglyph representing the sound ‘w’, because of the whistling call of the bird. The bright colours of the paint are remarkably well preserved with the chick highlighted in bright ochre with blue details and red legs. This delightful fragment was formerly in the Bauer collection, Germany, acquired in the 1960s and costs £12,000.

Another fascinating piece is a wood mummy mask (pictured right) from the Third Intermediate Period, 22nd-24th Dynasty, 945-715 BC, which formerly belonged to the distinguished French archaeologist George Perrot (1832-1914). The wide, heart-shaped face mask is finely carved, the lips animated by a slight, rather mysterious smile. The large almond-shaped eyes and arched eyebrows are recessed and would originally have been inlaid with bronze and hardstone or glass paste. Price - £28,000.

The Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair (Thursday 14 to Wednesday 20 June 2007) is one of the foremost art fairs in the world and offers works of art from early antiquity to pieces created by the leading craftsman of today. Works range from furniture, paintings, ceramics, glass, textiles and clocks to silver, jewellery, oriental works of art, antiquarian books, manuscripts and maps. Rupert Wace can be found at Stand No.1

Rupert Wace has been dealing in antiquities for over 30 years. He is Deputy Chairman of the Antiquities Dealers Association in the UK and a board member of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art, both of which rigorously uphold the ethics of dealing in ancient art and whose members follow a strict code of ethics concerning the authenticity and provenance of the objects they sell.

For more information visit www.rupertwace.co.uk