About this lot

Description

An Egyptian terracotta figure of Bez, standing with one arm aloft, possibly Ptolemaic period-Roman period, circa 4th Century 22cm (9in)
Provenance: From the collection of Michael Rice, Egyptologist. Michael Rice had a lifelong passion for the Arab world, prompted when he heard, as a small boy in 1939, the haunting sound of Tutankhamun's trumpet being played on the radio and he wanted to know its history and where it came from. Rice and his company designed the national museums in Oman and Riyadh. In 1990 he was instrumental in setting up the Bahrain-British Foundation with the governments of the two countries. Michael Rice published many books, including Egypt's Making, 1990; Egypt's Legacy, 1997; and Who's Who in Ancient Egypt, 1999. Many years after hearing Tutankhamun's trumpet on air, when he first went to Cairo, he heard cries of "Rice, Rice" as he walked through the airport. He thought this was a kind welcome but later discovered that it was the Egyptian word for "Chief" and was a desperate cry from those trying to attract a porter or a waiter. At the time of his death Michael Rice was writing three further books, one of them on his dogs - of these his favourite, Nefer, was a Pharoah hound who accompanied him everywhere.

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