DOI article:
Lipińska, Jadwiga: Egyptian sculptures and reliefs "Brought" by Professor Kazimierz Michałowski from Edfu
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18950#0053
Nowhere did Michałowski mention their origin, except in the case of a large
seated statuę of the Ptolemaic baboon (67 cm high, inv. no. 141271, ill. 1-2)
which was given proper credentials in one of the articles by Michałowski: it
was discovered by Henri Henne in 1921-1922.' But in the guide-books, the
entries were always marked only “Edfu”, without specification.
It appears that Michałowski was keeping as much of the data concerning
objects purchased or donated to himself as possible, in an attempt to convince
the Polish authorities that the results of the excavations were much richer than
in reality. He had to raise funds for the excavations, and the purported great
value of the finds was a good argument for officials responsible for assigning
financial support for the expedition. And Michałowski really did manage
to acąuire exhibits of a great value, such as the false door of the 6th dynasty
mastaba of Isi together with two decorated blocks from its corridor, or a
collection of stelae from the Second Intermediate Period, previously discovered
by the French Mission. Those objects are still the most important monuments
displayed at the Gallery.
Michałowski had some of the mission's funds allocated to the purchase of
exhibits, and certainly madę use of them. They were not large sums: an
account from 1939 is preserved in the archiye, stating that the mission paid
25 Egyptian pounds for the purchase of eight objects. This sum was worth
then much morę than it is today, but was still not sufficient for the purchase
of really valuable monuments (at the same time a ghafir was earning 7 piastres
a day, and the expenses for printing a report with photographs and drawings
amounted to 24 Egyptian Pounds). Unfortunately, there is nothing in the
archive to indicate which exhibits were bought. Only in one place in the
Rapport Preliminaire 1939 did Michałowski mention his old friend, the
antiąue dealer in Edfu, Gama Hassan Mahomed, who in 1939 presented him
with two objects, a fragment of a Greek inscription, and a Byzantine stela. The
fate of both is not known.1 2
In some cases one can presume the provenance of the objects by studying
their style and inscriptions, if any are present. But in most cases it is not
possible to ascertain if the object really originated from Edfu, or if it was
bought or received in Cairo as a gift. Such is the case of three adjacent blocks
evidently being part of a wali of a mastaba, seemingly from the 6th dynasty,3
unfortunately without the heads of the depicted persons (ill. 3-5).4 Their
1 H. Henne, Fouilles de l'Institut Franęais d'Archeologie Ońentale du Caire. Rapports
Preliminaires 1921-22, I, 2, tab. VI-VIIIK; K. Michałowski, “Apollinopolis Magna”, in idem,
Opera Minora, Warsaw 1990, p. 314; B. Porter, R. Moss, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient
Egyptian Texts, Reliefs and Paintings, vol. V, Oxford 1937, p. 202.
2 A. Twardecki, “Inscriptions grecąues acąuises par le Musee National de Varsovie lors des
fouilles franco-polonaises a Edfu”, in Tell Edfou, soixante ans apres. Actes du colloąue franco-
-polonais, le Caire 15 octobre 1996, lnstitut Franęais dArcheologie Ońentale. Fouilles Franco-
-Polonaises 4, Le Caire 1999, p. 83.
3 Each błock is 34-35 cm high, 51-64 cm long and c. 16 cm thick. Dating conjectural, on basis
of the style.
4 Inv. nos 141296, 141294, 141293.
51
seated statuę of the Ptolemaic baboon (67 cm high, inv. no. 141271, ill. 1-2)
which was given proper credentials in one of the articles by Michałowski: it
was discovered by Henri Henne in 1921-1922.' But in the guide-books, the
entries were always marked only “Edfu”, without specification.
It appears that Michałowski was keeping as much of the data concerning
objects purchased or donated to himself as possible, in an attempt to convince
the Polish authorities that the results of the excavations were much richer than
in reality. He had to raise funds for the excavations, and the purported great
value of the finds was a good argument for officials responsible for assigning
financial support for the expedition. And Michałowski really did manage
to acąuire exhibits of a great value, such as the false door of the 6th dynasty
mastaba of Isi together with two decorated blocks from its corridor, or a
collection of stelae from the Second Intermediate Period, previously discovered
by the French Mission. Those objects are still the most important monuments
displayed at the Gallery.
Michałowski had some of the mission's funds allocated to the purchase of
exhibits, and certainly madę use of them. They were not large sums: an
account from 1939 is preserved in the archiye, stating that the mission paid
25 Egyptian pounds for the purchase of eight objects. This sum was worth
then much morę than it is today, but was still not sufficient for the purchase
of really valuable monuments (at the same time a ghafir was earning 7 piastres
a day, and the expenses for printing a report with photographs and drawings
amounted to 24 Egyptian Pounds). Unfortunately, there is nothing in the
archive to indicate which exhibits were bought. Only in one place in the
Rapport Preliminaire 1939 did Michałowski mention his old friend, the
antiąue dealer in Edfu, Gama Hassan Mahomed, who in 1939 presented him
with two objects, a fragment of a Greek inscription, and a Byzantine stela. The
fate of both is not known.1 2
In some cases one can presume the provenance of the objects by studying
their style and inscriptions, if any are present. But in most cases it is not
possible to ascertain if the object really originated from Edfu, or if it was
bought or received in Cairo as a gift. Such is the case of three adjacent blocks
evidently being part of a wali of a mastaba, seemingly from the 6th dynasty,3
unfortunately without the heads of the depicted persons (ill. 3-5).4 Their
1 H. Henne, Fouilles de l'Institut Franęais d'Archeologie Ońentale du Caire. Rapports
Preliminaires 1921-22, I, 2, tab. VI-VIIIK; K. Michałowski, “Apollinopolis Magna”, in idem,
Opera Minora, Warsaw 1990, p. 314; B. Porter, R. Moss, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient
Egyptian Texts, Reliefs and Paintings, vol. V, Oxford 1937, p. 202.
2 A. Twardecki, “Inscriptions grecąues acąuises par le Musee National de Varsovie lors des
fouilles franco-polonaises a Edfu”, in Tell Edfou, soixante ans apres. Actes du colloąue franco-
-polonais, le Caire 15 octobre 1996, lnstitut Franęais dArcheologie Ońentale. Fouilles Franco-
-Polonaises 4, Le Caire 1999, p. 83.
3 Each błock is 34-35 cm high, 51-64 cm long and c. 16 cm thick. Dating conjectural, on basis
of the style.
4 Inv. nos 141296, 141294, 141293.
51