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Published: P. Clayton, 'Ancient Egypt', in M. Merrony (ed.), Mougins Museum of Classical Art, Mougins, 2011, p. 36, fig. 6.
Exhibited: Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins (Mougins Museum of Classical Art), June 2011–August 2023, inventory number MMOCA.201.
Expert’s note
Patjwma is identified by name in the hieroglyphic inscription and represented kneeling in adoration before Atum, one of the great creator gods of ancient Egypt, here invoked as “Lord of the Two Lands.” Particularly significant are the two shebyu necklaces prominently worn around his neck, identified in the earlier Christie’s publication as two “Gold of Honor” necklaces. During the New Kingdom, such elaborate gold necklaces were bestowed by the king upon distinguished officials as highly prestigious marks of royal favor and achievement. Their conspicuous representation therefore conveyed far more than personal wealth: they proclaimed Patjwma’s recognition by the royal court.
The surviving inscription further invokes a long life united with good health and, as interpreted in the Christie’s publication, Patjwma’s resurrection and well-being in the hereafter. His adoration of Atum thus carried a profound funerary significance, invoking the divine powers through which regeneration, resurrection, and a blessed existence in the afterlife could be attained. The relief therefore presents Patjwma both as a highly distinguished member of the courtly elite, proudly displaying his royal honors, and as a devout worshipper seeking eternal renewal.
Egypt, 1391–1196 BC. Finely sculpted in sunk relief, depicting the court official Patjwma (Pa-tchawj) kneeling in adoration, his arms raised in worship. He is richly attired in an elaborately pleated festive costume with a finely pleated apron and duplex wig, and prominently wears a two-stranded shebyu, the prestigious “Gold of Honor” associated with royal distinction. Above him are four columns of partially preserved hieroglyphs invoking Atum, Lord of the Two Lands, and requesting a long life united with good health for the court official Patjwma.
Inscriptions: With four columns of hieroglyphs above: 'doing obeissance to... Atum/ Lord of the two lands/ a good lifetime, united with good health/ by the court official Patjwma (Pa-tchawj)'
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, obvious losses, extensive weathering, scattered chips and nicks, rubbing to details, scratches, and soil encrustations. Despite the weathering, the carving remains remarkably sharp and well preserved overall.
French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel, no. 258197 dated 28 November 2025, has been granted. A copy accompanies this lot.
Provenance:
- The private collection of Ernst Kofler and Marthe Kofler-Truniger, Lucerne, Switzerland, acquired in the 1950s-60s.
- Christie’s New York, 12 December 2002, lot 186.
- A private collection, acquired from the above, and thence by descent.
- Bonhams London, 1 May 2008, lot 46 (sold for GBP 18,000 or approx. EUR 35,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
- The private collection of Christian Levett, France, and from thereon permanently exhibited in the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, the Museum of Classical Art in Mougins, France.
Ernst Kofler (1899-1989) and Marthe Kofler-Truniger (1918-1999) were prominent Swiss collectors based in Lucerne who assembled an important and wide-ranging collection of antiquities and European works of art during the mid-20th century. Their holdings encompassed ancient Egyptian, Classical, and Near Eastern objects, ancient glass, medieval sculpture, ivories, enamels, and other early works of art. Ernst Kofler-Truniger was active in the family fashion business in Lucerne before increasingly devoting himself to collecting and the art trade. Together with Marthe, he built the collection over several decades, acquiring works of exceptional quality that later entered major international collections. Important groups from their holdings were subsequently dispersed through landmark sales, including Ancient Glass, Formerly the Kofler-Truniger Collection at Christie’s London in 1985, while individual works are today preserved in institutions including the J. Paul Getty Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Christian Levett (b. 1970) is a British commodities trader-turned-collector whose passion for collecting began in childhood. After building early collections of medals, art, and natural history books, he turned to antiquities in the early 2000s, quickly establishing himself as one of the most active private collectors in the field. In 2011, he founded the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins (Mougins Museum of Classical Art) in southern France, where antiquities are exhibited in dialogue with works by modern and contemporary artists influenced by the classical tradition. Since retiring from commodities in 2016, Levett has devoted himself full-time to art and philanthropy, sponsoring academic scholarships and supporting archaeological excavations, including at Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli.
Weight: 3 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 25.5 cm (excl. stand), 30.5 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted on an associated stand. (2)
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 10 June 2010, lot 37
Price: USD 116,500 or approx. EUR 155,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian limestone relief, New Kingdom, Dynasty XIX-XX
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and related modeling. Note the much larger size (55.8 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 7 December 2006, lot 24
Price: USD 24,000 or approx. EUR 34,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian limestone relief, New Kingdom, Dynasty XIX-XX
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and related modeling. Note the size (33.6 cm).
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