Plate with ten small cups. Ancient Egypt, Late Period, 664–323 B.C.

Plate with ten small cups. Ancient Egypt, Late Period, 664–323 B.C.
Faience.
Provenance: private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1970s; Galerie Nefer, Zurich, 2003; private collection, Chicago, United States, acquired from the previous owner.
Accompanied by a purchase invoice from Galerie Nefer, dated July 17, 2003.
In good condition. Intact.
Measurements: 3.7 × 10.8 × 5 cm.

In the funerary ideology of Ancient Egypt, the magic of substitution and scale played a fundamental role: miniature ritual objects were not mere decorative models, but instruments endowed with eternal symbolic efficacy. This type of set with multiple containers was intended to hold the canonical oils, ointments, and purifying substances used in such crucial rituals as the “Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth.” Through this ceremony, priests anointed the mummy or cult statue to magically restore its senses and allow it to nourish itself and regenerate in the Afterlife.

The exceptional value of this piece lies, to a large extent, in the preservation of the dark, petrified substance inside one of the vessels. The survival of these remnants of original resins, ointments, or aromatic oils transcends the merely aesthetic to offer direct archaeological evidence of liturgical practice during the Late Period. Furthermore, the choice of faience carries a specific theological significance: known as tjehenet (“that which dazzles or shines”), its composition and hues—associated with water and vegetation—symbolized sunlight and the power of rebirth linked to Osiris.

Individual fayenza vessels from this period are well documented in collections such as that of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The solid documentation accompanying this object—linked to internationally renowned institutions such as the Galerie Nefer in Zurich—confers upon it unquestionable heritage value and makes it a particularly attractive lot for both specialized collectors and institutions.