An Egyptian Blue-Green Faience Offering Cup for Seti I, New Kingdom, ca. 1550 - 1069 BCE

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Blue-green glazed faience foundation cup of cylindrical form with a wide spreading foot and everted rim. The exterior preserves traces of a rectangular royal cartouche panel naming Pharaoh Seti I (Men-maat-Re), reading: "Men-maat-Re, beloved of Osiris, Lord of Ro-setau." The vessel retains areas of dark staining consistent with contact from oils or other offerings deposited during ritual use. Foundation cups were produced under royal authority and deposited in foundation caches beneath temples and other important monuments during construction. As part of the foundation ritual, they served as votive offerings commemorating the establishment of the building and honoring the reigning king. Examples bearing the names of individual pharaohs are associated with specific royal building programs and provide important evidence for temple construction and ritual practice during the New Kingdom. For related examples see: J. Vandier d'Abbadie, Les Objets de Toilette Égyptien au Musée du Louvre, Editions des Musées Nationaux, 1972, nos. 557 - 558. Medium: Faience Dimensions: Height: 2 inches (5 cm) Condition: Very minor rim flake, otherwise intact. Provenance: Private collection of Prof. Earl Ertman collection, OH., acquired in the 1960s, thereafter private Arizona collection. Show more