Large Wood Knot of Isis with the Name of the Scribe Tjay

Culture: Egyptian

Period: New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, 1550-1292 B.C.

Material: Wood, gilt

Dimensions: 19.5 cm high

Price: 2 800 Euro

Ref: 1477

Provenance: Old British collection Boyd, acquired prior to 1930. Thence in a family estate. On 30 May 2015 auctioned with Pierre Bergé in Paris, lot 19. There acquired by the private collection Jean Deriat (1922-2016), thence in a family estate.

Condition: Fragment, a small piece of the headpiece on the left reattached.

Description: Large and important wood tyet symbol (also called as knot of Isis) with remains of gilt. In contrast to the ankh sign the side arms of a knot of Isis are facing downwards. The front with a large, ovoid head, long arms and broadening legs. A vertical inscription with hieroglyphs mentioning the name of the owner Tjay runs along the belly. The complete translation reads: “Oh Osiris, the scribe Tjay, justified.” Protruding tenons on top and at the bottom suggest that this rare wood knot of Isis was part of a furniture. Possibly it was mounted on the back rest of a chair of a funerary endowment. See the completely preserved chair of Hatnefer dating to the period of Hatshepsut, today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the Accession Number 36.3.152. The tyet symbol was used in a sepulchral context to protect the deceased from all dangers in the afterlife. Mounted.