Blue Faience Furniture Fitting for Ramesses II

19th Dynasty, 1295-1186 BC. A superb round furniture fitting or pommel made of blue faience for King Ramesses II, the throne name (praenomen) of the king written inside a cartouche surmounted by two ostrich feathers framing a solar disk, the cartouche surmounting the hieroglyphic sign 'nbw' for 'gold' which alludes to the shiny radiance of the royal name; two uraei protecting the cartouche from both sides, wearing respectively the White Crown of Upper Egypt and the Red Crown of Lower Egypt; the throne name 'Wsr-MAat-Ra' roughly translating to 'The stability of Ra is mighty' followed by the epithet '¤pt-n-Ra' 'Chosen of Ra'; mounted on a custom-made display stand. See Alfano, C. (ed.), Nefertari regina d'Egitto. Le Ciminiere, Catania, 27 mar.-30giu., Catania, 1999; Obsomer, C., Ramsès II, Paris, 2012; Spieser, C., Les noms du Pharaon comme êtres autonomes au Nouvel Empire, OBO 174, Fribourg, Switzerland / Göttingen, Germany, 2000; Von Beckerath, J., Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen, MÄS 20, Mainz, 1999. 'Nefertari regina d'Egitto' 130 opere provenienti dal: British Museum, Louvre, Museo Egizio di Torino, Museo Archeologico e la Biblioteca Reale di Torino. In collaborazione con il Getty Conservation Institute. 06 Ottobre 1994 / 05 Giugno 1995. 475 grams total, 14cm including stand (5 1/2"). From an important English collection; previously with Cybele Galerie Librairie Egyptologie, Paris, France; formerly with G. Janes, Manchester, UK and collection Galerie Nefer; accompanied by an academic report by Dr Alberto Maria Pollastrini; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10740-177442. The praenomen 'Wsr-MAat-Ra' (Von Beckerath, 1999, 154-155), roughly translatable as 'The stability of Ra is mighty' is followed by the epithet '¤pt-n-Ra' which appears in Ramesses II's royal titulature from the year 2 of his reign (Obsomer, 2012, 66-67"). The two rearing cobras, epitomising the goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet, symbolise also the unity of the Two Lands under the rule of Ramesses II (Spieser 2000, 47-48"). A comparable green faience fitting, bearing the praenomen of Ramesses II – part of the Archaeological Collection of Zürich (n. inv. 3702) - has been displayed in the itinerant exhibition 'Nefertari regina d'Egitto' (Alfano 1999, 16"). A black faience fitting with the names of the sun god Aten and the king Akhenaten, on display at Walter Museum of Arts, Baltimore, MD (inv. 48.404), and a blue faience fitting with the praenomen of king Ay, on display at Turin Egyptian Museum (Suppl. 5162), are evidence that such objects were not limited to the 19th Dynasty. [A video of this lot can be viewed on the Timeline Auctions website]
Condition Report: Fine condition, chipped.