THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, DYNASTY XXII-XXIII, CIRCA 9TH-8TH CENTURY B.C.

This vase was discovered in the holdings of the family estate when work was carried out at El Retiro in 1910. It was found together with an Egyptian alabaster canopic jar, which is now in the Archaeological Museum in Madrid. It has never been determined if the two works of art were excavated on the family property or if they were purchased. There is documentary evidence that the Egyptian pieces had belonged to the family as early as 1814, from which date there is a letter addressed to the owner of El Retiro, the 7th Count of Villalcaza, D. Juan Felipe Longinos de Echeverry, that refers to him owning a canopic jar and four cinerary urns. A purported lover of the arts and antiquities, it is equally likely that he acquired these pieces during travels.

There are several parallels that have been found in Spain and as far east as Iraq. The group is thought to have been manufactured in Thebes, and several examples have Egyptian hieroglyphic inscriptions for Pharaohs of Dynasty XXII, including one with a hieroglyphic inscription found in ancient Assur on the Tigris, with an inscription for the Pharaoh Takelot III (see pl. 3a in Vittmann, Ägypten und die Fremden im ersten vorchristlichen Jahrtausend). Examples have also been found with Phoenician inscriptions, including one from Almunecar on the southern coast of Spain. Other similar examples found in Spain include one with a hieroglyphic inscription from Cadiz. For all of these parallels and more, see Perez Die, op. cit.