An Egyptian Treasure from Lady Meux’s Museum
This bronze libation vessel once belonged to Lady Valerie Meux and was one of the 1,700 Ancient Egyptian artefacts kept in her private museum at Theobald's Park, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire. The collection was dispersed at auction in 1911.
It last appeared for sale as Lot 1954 on 19 September 2019 at an auction of Tribal Art, African Art and Antiquities held by Woolley & Wallis. It was estimated at £2,000-£3,000. The hammer fell at £7,500 and, with the buyer's premium added, the total price reached £9,000. The buyer was from Belgium.
The vessel is an Egyptian bronze situla (a bucket-shaped vessel) dating to the 7th-6th century BC. It has an ovoid body with a knopped base (small rounded knobs) and a swing handle. An incised rectangular panel depicts a priest seated on a stool, wearing a panther pelt and incense cones on his head, before an offering table. Fourteen rows of hieroglyphs accompany the scene. A second priest, also wearing a panther pelt, stands holding an incense burner and pouring a libation. The vessel measures 26 cm in height.
A description and photograph of the vessel are included in Some Account of the Collection of Egyptian Antiquities in the Possession of Lady Meux at Theobald's Park, Waltham Cross (2nd edition, 1896), written by E. A. Wallis Budge of the British Museum. He described it as a "Bronze Libation Bucket".
The vessel later formed part of the Ingrid McAlpine Collection. Ingrid McAlpine, of London and Epsom, Surrey, was a political linguist who worked in Brussels for the Common Market during the 1960s, as well as an international fashion buyer and furniture dealer. In 1972, she and her future husband, Bruce McAlpine, established a gallery specialising in antiquities and ancient art. She died in
2018.
Previously, the vessel was owned by Annie Trotter of London, who sold it in 1993. I have been unable to find any further information about her.
Sources: https://www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk/departments/african-oceanic-art/tr180919-1/view-lot/1954/
Auction Images: Woolley and Wallis
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