**Originally Listed At $500**

Ancient Egypt, Old Kingdom Period, 3rd to 6th Dynasty, ca. 2686 to 2181 BCE. A beautiful offering plate and cylindrical firestarter that are hand-carved from honey-yellow alabaster and were meant to be placed inside a tomb as funerary offerings. The circular plate features an asymmetrical profile, a very slight concave surface that boasts incredibly smooth surfaces, and a gentle convex base. Offering plates like this were important components of Egyptian funerary customs as it presented the offerings to the deceased in a respectful manner. Also included is a firestarter with a corseted profile and a drilled-out cavity on top. Firestarters were symbolically significant as it provided the deceased with a means of creating light in the darkness of the Egyptian Underworld. Size of largest (offering dish): 13" L x 12.8" W x 0.8" H (33 cm x 32.5 cm x 2 cm)

Provenance: private J.H. collection, Beaverton, Oregon, USA, acquired in 2016; ex-Relics of the Nile, Lexington, Kentucky, USA; ex-private Simonian collection, Switzerland

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#150647

Restoration to one area of dish periphery with infill material in some areas and light adhesive residue along new material and break lines. Both items have nicks and abrasions, with chips to several areas of firestarter, and light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits and smooth surface textures throughout.