J21

Egyptian mosaic glass gaming counter

£200

A mosaic glass gaming counter decorated with yellow, green and red flowers scattered within an amber coloured background specked with opaque white rods.

Egypt, Roman Period, 1st to 3rd Century AD

Size: 1.6 x 0.45 cms.

Intact apart form a very small chip to one side

Ex. collection: Henry Wallis RWS, 1830-1916.

Wallis is probably best known as an artist of the Pre-Raphaelite movement who exhibited "The death of Chatterton" to much acclaim at the Royal Academy in 1856. He worked with and enjoyed the friendship of several of the great painters of the late 19th Century including Rossetti, Alma-Tadema and Burne-Jones.

In later life Wallis became a noted scholar and collector of antiquities. He published twenty works on Egyptian, Classical, Medieval and Islamic art, including the book "Egyptian Ceramics" in 1900. His collection now forms part of the permanent displays of several important museums including the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Wallis travelled widely in the Mediterranean, and visited Egypt on several trips where he met with the legendary Flinders-Petrie at a fascinating point in the archaeological history of the country. This allowed him to acquire antiquities from rarefied and recently discovered sites such as Tell el-Amarna and Tuna el-Gebel.

"vessels of all kinds, figures of the gods, elegant objects of personal adornment, and all the trappings and paraphernalia of the mummy" Henry Wallis, commenting on discoveries at Tuna el-Gebel in the 1890's.

This object forms part of an extensive group of antiquities from this unique Victorian collection which we are delighted to offer for sale for the first time in nearly 100 years.