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Monday, December 7, 2015

Egyptian Chronicles: Watch out For Sotheby’s NY, part of our History is sold there.


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Monday, December 7, 2015


Watch out For Sotheby's NY Those days , part of our History is sold there.

In the upcoming days, Sotheby's in New York is going to put up for an auction a collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, heritage activists back in Cairo believe that they were taken out of the country illegally.
On 8 December, Sobthey's will present what it described as "a sale almost exclusively dedicated to ancient Egyptian sculpture and works of art, the first auction of its kind in recent memory."
Unfortunately, I only knew about it now thanks to heritage activist Sally Soliman. 
The Egyptian Press spoke about as I searched online since November and yet the ministry of antiquities and our embassy in the States did nothing as far as about that auction.
That sale or auction includes ancient Egyptian statues, busts and pieces believed by heritage activists to be taken out of the country illegally.
Needless to say, I found a fragment from Karnak temple up for sale in that auction. I do not think that Egypt sold pieces of Karnak Temples complex before legally.
The fragment from Karnak Complex temple
Estimated price between $ 2000 to $5000
"Sotheby's" 
A Large Egyptian Wood Mummy Mask,
25th/early 26th Dynasty, circa 750-600 B.C.
Price estimated between $ 300,000 to 500,000
" Sotheby's"
An Egyptian Basalt Bust of Tuthmosis III,
18th Dynasty, reign of Tuthmosis III, 1479-1426 B.C.
Estimated price between $200,000 to $300,000
"Sotheby's"  
An Egyptian Steatite Figure of the Lady Iset, Chantress of Sobek,
19th Dynasty, Reign of Ramesses I/
early in the Reign of Ramesses II, circa 1292-1250 B.C.
Estimated price $600,000 to 900,000
"Sotheby's" 
Interestingly, I found among those pieces up for sale, a small statue for ancient Egyptian goddess Sekhmet that was owned by John Lennon.
 A Monumental Granite Figure of Sekhmet Enthroned, Thebes,
18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, 1403-1365 B.C.
Its price estimate between $3,000,000 to $5,000,000
"Sotheby's"
Reading about John Lennon and Yoko Ono's little adventure in Egypt in Amr Ali's blog , makes me believes that that Sekhmet found her way to the Big Apple illegally.
I know it is too late but one must try everything possible way.

By the way , Those are not the recent artifacts related to Egypt that are going to be sold in Sotheby's NY this week.
On 9 December as well a magnificent diamond necklace that was once owned by Queen Nazli of Egypt is going to put up for an auction.
That 1939 Van Cleef & Arpels necklace expected to be sold for a price between  $3,600,000 to $4,600,000 departed Egypt with former late Queen Nazli in 1949 when her son King Farouk expelled her and his sister Fathia.
In a big original Middle Eastern Royal Drama , the last King of Egypt expelled his mother and sister stripping them from their royal titles after the marriage of Princess Fathia from her personal secretary, Riyad Ghali.
Ghali was originally a Christian and despite he converted to Islam , the King rejected the marriage and it was one hell of a crisis in Egypt with protests against the king mocking him for having no control on his wild mom and sister.

Queen Nazli wearing the necklace in some Royal Dinner and besides her, King Farouk
of Egypt and Sudan and Sultana Malk, the eldest member of the Royal Family then 

The sad story of Nazli and Fathia did not end well in the United States where they lived till the end of their lives.
It was tragedy after tragedy like a Classical Egyptian drama.

In Mid 1970s , Riyad Ghali who became a violent alcoholic killed Fathia in their house in Los Angeles.


Queen Nazli wearing her legendary Tiara
and necklace 
Queen Nazi already sold that Necklace and more pieces of her fancy jewelry in mid 1970s in a public auction to pay her bills.
The diamond necklace made in 1939
for the late Queen of Egypt 
This is the second major piece from her legendary jewelry collection to find its way to the public.
I wonder what happened to her diamond Tiara.


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