A white faience lentoid plaque for the King Shabaka of the 25th dynasty.
Substantially intact.
57mm x 19mm x 10.5mm
716 B C - 702 BC
From the Winkler collection.
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This specific piece has just been published by Franco Magnarini, Egyptologist, on archaeogate.
http://www.archaeogate.org/egittologia/article/800/1/shabaka-di-franco-magnarini.html
Here is the English translation
HALL [1] calls this type of object as him as a lentoid plaque, while MATOUK [2] calls it an "oblong (steatite) pearl" and FRASER [3] simply a large bead.
Leaving aside what it's called it is probably from the the series with the cartouche of Shabaka (Nefer-Ka-Ra) the second king of the XXV dynasty (716-702 BC).
57 x 19 x 10.5 and is made of crude faience. The base is flat and the sides are smooth, while the upper part, impressed. It is slightly convex with the edges rounded. Has a longitudinal hole. The fabric is considerably worn with a gap at the top, and it makes the text difficult to read.
Hwever it is clearly:
S3 R' Sh3-b3-k3 'nkh djt = il Figlio di Ra = Shabaka, who lives forever.
Curiously the museum of Krakow has the so-called "Collection of the soldiers' from activity in Cairo in 1946 by the Second Polish Army Corps. In 1948 the pieces were donated to the museum in Krakow. Of 19of these plaques in thois collection three qare inscribed with the name of Shabaka.
In an old inventory it is recorded that the purchase was made at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Sales No. 226, Unit Price: 5 Pt. (sic), which also gave the information that the entire batch of items came from discoveries in the Holy Lake of Karnak.
Cf: SLIWA [4] , Nfa [5] , SOTHEBY'S [6] . SLIWA [4], Nfa [5], SOTHEBY'S [6].
NOTE
[1] Hall H.R., "CATALOGUE", London -1913, 2494.
[2] Matouk F.S., "CORPUS DU SCARABEE EGYPTIEN" vol. 1° Beyrouth-1971, 199, 807; 221,860.
[3] Fraser, G., "A CATALOGUE OF THE SCARABS BELONGING TO GEORGE FRASER" , London-1900, pl.XIII, 367.
[4] Sliwa J. "EGYPTIAN SCARABS, SCARABOIDS AND PLAQUES FROM THE CRACOW COLLECTIONS", Universitas Iagellonica, Varsavia-Cracovia-1985, pag. 12 e nota 24; nn. 25-43.
[5] Nfa , classical auctions Inc. Dec.11, 1991, 296.
[6] Sotheby's AUCTION Dec. 1993, 592
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The pics of the text are from the Nfa auction where a similar one sold in 1991.
