.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
For a similar example see no. 74A in Lacovara, et al., The Collector's Eye: Masterpieces of Egyptian Art from The Thalassic Collection, Ltd. According to Lacovara (op. cit., p. 124-125), a number of similar vessels were excavated in the Valley of the Kings and are associated with the funeral of Ramesses' son and successor Merneptah. "The material used in preparing the mummy, although unclean, was still connected to the sacred rites of the dead, and was gathered up and placed in jars buried in a pit near the tomb. These collections, known as embalmer's caches, have been found in a number of cemetery sites in Egypt, but the most elaborate ones are known from the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. The excavation of a cache from the burial of Tutankhamen eventually led to the discovery of his tomb. In the Ramesside Period, the pottery vessels found in earlier embalmer's caches appear to have been replaced by more elaborate alabaster ones. A group of similar vases, including one inscribed for Ramesses II from Ard el-Naam Mataria, still retained the original contents, which included: linen, sand, natron, resin and organic debris associated with mummification."