Pharaonic wooden chest dating back to Ptolemaic era sold at international auction

CAIRO – 6 July 2022: Sotheby's Auctions announced Wednesday the sale of a multi-colored Egyptian wooden canopy box, dating back to the Ptolemaic period 305-30 BC, for £20,160.

Initially, the antique box was expected to fetch £5,000 - £8,000.

The antique ancient Egyptian box - social media

The antique ancient Egyptian box - social media

The antique ancient Egyptian box - social media

The antique ancient Egyptian box - social media

Sotheby's reported that the box is a property of the Axel Vervoordt collection, and measures 39.5 cm in height. It is made in the form of a mausoleum with tapered walls. The facade is painted and has double bolted doors.

A winged scarab is placed at the top, and the sides are painted with the mummy of the deceased on a sarcophagus surrounded by the mourning Isis. The other side is decorated with a mourning goddess and a woman, three friezes of tied pillars, and corsets of Isis. The back is decorated with the deity Osiris, depicted with a body in the form of a column wearing a crown, surrounded by a praying head, and surmounted by a winged deity. The lid is, however, missing.