In 2008, Dina Faltings and Beatrix Gessler-Löhr published an article about the king’s daughter Nbw-m-tḫ in the Festschrift for Bettina Schmitz, discussing the princess’ epigraphical evidence and her date, which had been undetermined until that point.1 The known prosopographical dossier of the princess, who might have been a daughter of either Thutmose IV or Amenhotep III, comprised ten calcite alabaster2 vessels of three types and one cosmetic implement, kept in several European museum collections. In addition, there were two further vessels in Turin, which could not be tracked down and were thus called “lost” by the aforementioned scholars. Since that article of 2008, the full set of Nbw-m-tḫ’s inscribed alabaster vessels has – to the knowledge of the present author – never been addressed again. The two rediscovered “lost” pieces in Turin are presented here, along with fresh data on their already known Turin siblings.

Table 1 lists all the objects of Nbw-m-tḫ, with the four Turin pieces highlighted.3 All the alabaster vessels bear the same inscription: zꜣ.t-nswt Nbw-m-tḫ, “king’s daughter Nebu-em-tekh”.4 Vessel I.12 shows a different position of the inscription. The cosmetic implement (II) has the inscription running along the centre of its flat underside and the name is spelled in a unique fashion as Nbw-tḫ. The stela (III) provides another piece of evidence for the king’s daughter, her connections to Memphis and her most likely date.

Table 1

The objects of, or mentioning, the king’s daughter Nbw-m-tḫ as listed and numbered by Faltings and Gessler-Löhr. The Turin pieces are highlighted in bold.

Fig. 1

a: Leiden RMO H 329 (photo: RMO Leiden, CC0).b: Leiden RMO H 330 (photo: RMO Leiden, CC0).c: Leiden RMO H 332 (photo: RMO Leiden, CC0).d: Leiden RMO H 240 (photo: RMO Leiden, CC0).

Fig. 2

a: Louvre N 507 (photo: © 2000 Musée du Louvre / Georges Poncet).b: Munich SMÄK ÄS 243 (photo: © Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst München / Marianne Franke).c: Munich SMÄK ÄS 247 (photo: © Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst München / Marianne Franke).d: Turin RGCE 8475 (after Faltings and Gessler-Löhr, in Spiekermann (ed.), FS Schmitz, 2008, pl. VII, fig. 8).

Fig. 3

a: Turin RGCE 8474 (after Faltings and Gessler-Löhr, in Spiekermann (ed.), FS Schmitz, 2008, pl. VII, fig. 8).b: British Museum EA 4536 (photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum).c: Louvre N 813 (photo: © 2000 Musée du Louvre / Georges Poncet).d: British Museum EA 1369 (photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum).

In listing the collections with objects of Nbw-m-tḫ, Faltings and Gessler-Löhr state that “[f]ür zwei weitere Gefäße in Turin (I.11 und I.12) verliert sich die Spur”.15 2 Thus, they could not match those two vessels with any Turin inventory numbers (see Table 1). They, however, could tentatively recognize them among the alabaster vessels appearing in the Catalogo illustrato dei monumenti egizii del Regio Museo di Torino, Sale al Quarto Piano by Pier Camillo Orcurti from 1855.16 In this work, Orcurti lists and describes four inscribed vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ in the Turin collection as follows:17

N. 5. Alabastro. Vaso di forma panciuta con coperchio. Ha una iscrizione geroglifica che dice: « Regio figlio Nubemtech-het ». (“Drop-shaped vase with lid. It has a hieroglyphic inscription that reads: ‘royal son Nubemtech-het’”).N 6. Alabastro. Vaso largo in cima e ristretto in fondo. Ha una piccola bocca ricoperta da un coperchio: l’inscrizione verticale che ha sul dinanzi è la medesima del vaso n. 5. (“Vase that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. It has a small mouth that is covered with a lid: the vertical inscription on the front is the same as that on vase no. 5”).N. 7. Alabastro. Ampolla con coperchio, con piede e largo collo. Ha pure l’iscrizione del vaso no. 5. (“Vial with lid, with a foot and a wide neck. It has the same inscription as vase no. 5”).N. 8. Alabastro. Vaso panciuto senza manico. Ha l’iscrizione del vaso no. 5: è alquanto rotto nel collo. (“Drop-shaped vase without a handle. It has the same inscription as vase no. 5: it is somewhat broken at the neck”). 18

Based on these short descriptions, the connection proposed by Faltings and Gessler-Löhr between the Orcurti-numbers and the objects (see Table 1) can3 be confirmed for the first two vessels: I.8 = N.8 and I.9 = N.6. This confirmation also further validates the surmised link between I.11 = N.5 and I.12 = N.7. Regarding the first two vessels in Turin (I.8 and I.9), their “proper” Catalogo (Cat.) numbers19 can now also be verified in Fabretti et al., Regio Museo I, 1882, p. 442, based on the descriptions and inscription: I.9 = Cat. 3247 (Fig. 4) and I.8 = Cat. 3248 (Fig. 5).20 4

Fig. 4

I.9 = Cat. 3247 (after Fabretti et al., Regio Museo I, 1882, p. 442).

Fig. 5

I.8 = Cat. 3248 (after Fabretti et al., Regio Museo I, 1882, p. 442).

A short query in the Turin collection database revealed the whereabouts and inventory numbers of the two “lost” alabaster vessels: I.12 = Cat. 3254 (Fig. 6) and I.11 = Cat. 3255 (Fig. 7). The long-lasting confusion regarding these two objects was caused by an incorrect reference in Fabretti et al., Regio Museo I, 1882, p. 443 in relation to the vessel Cat. 3254, which is said to show the same text as Cat. 3199, a bronze bowl inscribed in the name of a nb.t-pr Tꜣ-ḥsy.t. If the correct reference to Cat. 3247 had been made here, the two further alabaster vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ would never have been “lost”.

Fig. 6

I.12 = Cat. 3254 (after Fabretti et al., Regio Museo, I, 1882, p. 443).

Fig. 7

I.11 = Cat. 3255 (after Fabretti et al., Regio Museo, I, 1882, p. 443).

The vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ also feature among the photographs of Egyptian objects in the Turin collection taken by W. M. Flinders Petrie in April 1893, now kept at the Griffith Institute in Oxford (Figs. 8, 9). On these photographs, all the inscribed Nbw-m-tḫ vessels bear a plain rectangular sticker with the old “location number”.21 The Turin Cat. inventory numbers were not known to Petrie, as is evidenced by the copies that Jaroslav Černý made in 1954 of the most likely original photo legends.22 These captions only say “alabaster vases”, provide a hieroglyphic transcription of the visible inscriptions and mention “T[urin]” as the location of the objects.23 The fact that this archive material was only made publicly available in 2018 adds a further aspect to the rather long “unknown” status of the two vessels Turin Cat. 3254 and 3255.

Fig. 8

Petrie MSS 3.1.190, showing vessels I.9 (= Cat. 3247) and I.8 (= Cat. 3248) (© Griffith Institute, Oxford: https://archive.griffith.ox.ac.uk/index.php/petrie-3-1-190).

Fig. 9

Petrie MSS 3.1.195, showing vessels I.11 (= Cat. 3255) and I.12 (= Cat. 3254) in the front row among other calcite alabaster vessels (upper row Cat. 3277; Cat. 3252; Cat. 3275; lower row left Cat. 3261; right Cat. 3259) (© Griffith Institute, Oxford: https://archive.griffith.ox.ac.uk/index.php/petrie-3-1-195).

The following table (Table 2) provides a short concordance of the different catalogue, location, and inventory numbers of the four calcite alabaster vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ in Turin. The next section offers a fresh publication and brief discussion, since I.8 and I.9 are currently only known from drawings based on the Turin Soprintendenza inventory cards,24 while I.11 and I.12 are both unpublished.5-6

Table 2

Catalogue and inventory number concordance of the four calcite alabaster vessels of the king’s daughter Nbw-m-tḫ in Turin. RCGE stands for “Registro Catalogo Generale Entrata” (Register of the General Entry Catalogue), a further inventory number Italian authorities used for state property, including archaeological heritage objects.

Fig. 10

The four calcite alabaster vessels of the king’s daughter Nbw-m-tḫ in the Museo Egizio Turin (photo by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Inventory Number: Cat. 3247 (Figs. 10, 11, 12, 13)

Material: Calcite alabaster, Egyptian blue

Dimensions: height 9.4 cm, max. diam.: 8.85 cm; diam. at base: 5.5 cm; outer diam. of rim: 4.4 cm; inner diam. of mouth 3.2 cm; depth: 7.6 cm; weight: 815.4 g

Acquisition: before 1855 (possibly from Drovetti collection)

Provenance: unknown, probably Saqqara (see below)

Date: mid-18^th Dynasty, Thutmose IV – Amenhotep III

Description: Calcite alabaster vessel with a short and flattened rim, rounded shoulder, narrowing body and flat base, and an inscription column engraved on the body. The text reads zꜣ.t-nswt Nbw-m-tḫ. It is framed by two incised lines, the left one of which is continuous while the other one appears to have been made in several parts. The main elements of the inscription are also incised, other smaller elements appear pecked. Tiny remains of Egyptian blue are present in the rightmost gold grain element of the nbw-sign (see Fig. 13). The vessel’s stout contour is remindful of that of miniature canopic jars and small nemset-vessels.25 The edge at the vessel’s base is angled for the most part. The outer surface is smooth and matt. Some minor “impurities” can be made out in the diagonally banded calcite alabaster (see Fig. 12). The inner cavity widens towards the bottom and shows drilling traces almost down to the bottom. After a slight lip shortly above the inner base, which has a roughly triangular form, the drilling7 traces stop. No remains of contents are present. The main inventory number “Cat. 3247” appears in red on a sticker on the base (see Fig. 11g) and in black ink within a black rectangle on the back side (see Fig. 11d).

References: Orcurti, Catalogo illustrato, 1855, p. 178, N.6; Fabretti et al., Regio Museo I, 1882, p. 442, pl. I, no. 75, Cat. 3247; Maspero, RecTrav 4 (1883), p. 151; Gauthier, RecTrav 40 (1923), p. 202, no. 32; Chassinat, REA 1 (1925), p. 132; Roccati, in Morigi Govi et al. (eds.), L’Egitto fuori dell’Egitto, 1991, p. 362; Bierbrier, Hieroglyphic Texts 12, 1993, p. 26; Faltings and Gessler-Löhr, in Spiekermann (ed.), FS Schmitz, 2008, p. 68, pl. VII, fig. 9, I.9.

Parallels: I.10.8-9

Fig. 11

Main views of Turin Cat. 3247 (photos by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Fig. 12

Two views of Turin Cat. 3247 with light shining through (photos by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Fig. 13

View of the inscription of Cat. 3247 under visible induced luminescence (VIL) (photo by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Inventory Number: Cat. 3248 (Figs. 10, 14, 15, 16)

Material: Calcite alabaster, Egyptian blue

Dimensions: height: 11 cm; max. diam.: 9.9; outer diam. of mouth 4.5 cm; inner diam. of mouth 3.65 cm; inner diam. of neck 3.15 cm; max. inner depth measured from upper rim: 9.8 cm; weight: 845 g

Acquisition: before 1855 (possibly from Drovetti collection)

Provenance: unknown, probably Saqqara (see below)

Date: mid-18^th Dynasty, Thutmose IV – Amenhotep III

Description: Calcite alabaster vessel with a flat (re-worked?) rim, short cylindrical neck, bag-shaped (or pyriform) body and a flattened base. An inscription column reading zꜣ.t-nswt Nbw-m-tḫ is engraved on the body; it is framed by two lines. The framing lines and hieroglyphs mainly appear to be pecked. Larger remains of Egyptian blue can be found in some of the hieroglyphs, particularly the zꜣ-, nbw- (including the gold grains) and ḫ-signs (see Fig. 16). The transition from the base to the body is smooth. The body widens to its maximum at the lower end of the inscription and narrows again towards the neck. Minor impurities are present in the generally horizontally banded calcite alabaster (see Fig. 15). The outer surface is smooth and matt. The cylindrical neck is marked by an incised groove at its lower base. Four neck fragments are glued back together. Some smaller neck pieces are missing at the breaks between the fragments; one larger piece is missing at the back. The outer and inner sides of the neck are smooth. A small lip is present at the outer edge of the flat rim. Based on both the appearance of the rim and the usual typology of ointment jars with disk rims (see I.4–7), it can be surmised that the disk was broken in antiquity and was hence removed and the rim reworked. There are no definite traces of such repair or reworking; the fragmentary state and unusual shape of the rim, however, suggest that such an operation was carried out. Some greyish sandy remains can be found inside the jar; these also adhere to the inner walls, which thus appear less regular and show less apparent drilling traces. A plain white rectangular sticker on the base, left of the centre, bears “C 3248” written in red. Opposite it, quite close to the edge, the location number “93” is written in pencil (see Fig. 14g).

References: Orcurti, Catalogo illustrato, 1855, p. 179, N.8; Fabretti et al., Regio Museo I, 1882, p. 442, Cat. 3248; Roccati, in Morigi Govi et al. (eds.), L’Egitto fuori dell’Egitto, 1991, p. 362; Bierbrier, Hieroglyphic Texts 12, 1993, p. 26; Faltings and Gessler-Löhr, in Spiekermann (ed.), FS Schmitz, 2008, p. 67, pl. VII, fig. 8, I.8.

Parallels: I.4–7; I.8 seems to miss its original rim. The closest parallel for such a vessel with a removed/missing rim is from Aniba: S.10, 47.26 In addition, Aniba no. S.49 can be mentioned: the neck of the vessel is missing and the break appears to have been smoothed.27 Furthermore, the bag-shaped vessel SAC5 211 from Tomb 26, feature 2, a mid- to late 18^th Dynasty burial context (thus also corroborating the dating of Nbw-m-tḫ’s vessels) on Sai Island is among the closest parallels, as it has an eroded rim which was originally likely shaped in a form such as that of I.4–7.28 10-12

Fig. 14

Main views of Turin Cat. 3248 (photos by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Fig. 15

Two views of Turin Cat. 3248 with light shining through (photos by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Fig. 16

View of the inscription of Cat. 3248 under visible induced luminescence (VIL) (photo by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Inventory Number: Cat. 3254 (Figs. 10, 17, 18, 19)

Material: Calcite alabaster, Egyptian blue

Dimensions: height: 8 cm; max. diam. of rim: 7.5; max. diam. of body: 6.8 cm; max. diam. of base ring: 5.3 cm; thickness of rim 0.6 cm; diam. of mouth 2.05 cm; max. inner depth measured from upper rim: 5.95 cm; weight: 506.3 g

Acquisition: before 1855 (possibly from Drovetti collection)

Provenance: unknown, probably Saqqara (see below)

Date: mid-18^th Dynasty, Thutmose IV – Amenhotep III

Description: Calcite alabaster vessel with a flat brim, short neck, rounded shoulder, truncated conical body and flattened base. An inscription column reading zꜣ.t-nswt Nbw-m-tḫ is engraved on the body. The framing lines and other major elements of the text are engraved as continuous lines or spaces, making this inscription the “best” one of the four in the Turin set. Remains of the original colour fill appear as dark material, particularly in the upper part of the inscription. The VIL-photo confirms the presence of Egyptian blue (see Fig. 19). The base is not fully flat. Starting at the indentation above the base, the body flares towards the shoulders, which then tilt towards the narrow neck. A rough zone extends across the whole back surface, which is otherwise generally smooth and shiny. The base of the neck is slightly undulating. The brim gets thinner towards its rounded outer edge. Some light red-brown patina is present on the upper rim surface. The circumference of the piece is not perfectly circular. The upper part of the central hole is cylindrical and shows regular drilling lines. It appears less regular and wider in the lower half. Fine powdery grey remains (galena?) are present inside. The base bears an old sticker with the location number “99”, under which “Cat. 3254” was written twice (an earlier, now fuzzy writing was renewed at some time with a finer pencil). Below, there is a square paper sticker with cut edges bearing the number “4412” (see Fig. 17g). Orcurti (see above) mentions a lid which is no longer associated with this vessel and has not been identified so far.

References: Orcurti, Catalogo illustrato, 1855, p. 179, N.7; Fabretti et al., Regio Museo I, 1882, p. 443, pl. I, no. 63, Cat. 3254; Faltings and Gessler-Löhr, in Spiekermann (ed.), FS Schmitz, 2008, p. 69, I.12.

Parallels: I.1–3.29 13-15

Fig. 17

Main views of Turin Cat. 3254 (photos by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Fig. 18

Two views of Turin Cat. 3254 with light shining through (photos by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Fig. 19

View of the inscription of Cat. 3254 under visible induced luminescence (VIL) (photo by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Inventory Number: Cat. 3255 (Figs. 10, 20, 21, 22)

Material: Calcite alabaster, Egyptian blue

Dimensions: height: 7.2; width from lug to lug: 13.2 cm; width without lugs: 11.7 cm; diam. of base: 3.9 cm; outer diam. of rim: 8.6 cm; inner diam. of rim: 6.6 cm; diam. of mouth: 6 cm; max. inner depth measured from upper rim: 5.5 cm; diam. of lid: 6.9 cm; thickness of lid: 0.72 cm; weight with lid: 1041.5 g; weight of lid: 53.8 g

Acquisition: before 1855 (possibly from Drovetti collection)

Provenance: unknown, probably Saqqara (see below)

Date: mid-18^th Dynasty, Thutmose IV – Amenhotep III

Description: Calcite alabaster vessel with a short, flattened rim which is covered with a disc-shaped lid, round sloping shoulders, two summarily indicated and unpierced lugs, a globular (oblate spheroidal) squat body and a rounded base. The text zꜣ.t-nswt Nbw-m-tḫ is inscribed horizontally on the body in between two framing lines which are not fully continuous and appear to have been pecked with a small pointy tool. The hieroglyphic signs also appear pecked. A tiny trace of Egyptian blue can be found in front of the lower framing line (see Fig. 22). The transition from the small, level base to the body is smooth. The lower parts of the stone are more crystalline and characterised by open pores (see Fig. 21). The body widens towards the shoulders. Two lugs protrude on opposite sides at the level of the maximum diameter. They are rectangular with rounded sides, and unpierced. The body then tapers towards the short and small inclined neck with a round outer contour with a flat upper surface. Most of the edge to the inner rim is angled. Traces of drilling can be discerned in the interior. No original contents remain. One third of the outer rim of the circular lid is partly broken. The short and rough circular base is off centre. The lip has a thin and sharp edge. A white plain sticker with the number “C 3255” written in red can be found a bit off-centre on the base (see Fig. 20i).

References: Orcurti, Catalogo illustrato, 1855, p. 178, N.5; Fabretti et al., Regio Museo I, 1882, p. 443, Cat. 3255; Faltings and Gessler-Löhr, in Spiekermann (ed.), FS Schmitz, 2008, p. 69, I.11.

Parallels: A general parallel for the shape can be found in RMO-Leiden AAL 51a, a coeval jar, slightly smaller and with a more pronounced angular rim, belonging to the high-priest of Ptah Ptḥ-ms from the reign of king Amenhotep III.30 The loose parallel MMA 20.2.28, somewhat different in size and shape, was considered to be Predynastic by Herbert E. Winlock, while it may indeed be of Dynasty 18 manufacture according to Christine Lilyquist.31 The MMA collection website gives a 2^nd–3^rd Dynasty date32 and speaks of a reuse under king Thutmose III.33 A further general parallel for Cat. 3255 in terms of its overall contour is Turin Cat. 3256 (Fig. 23, left), a vessel which – although uninscribed – might also be part of the burial equipment of Nbw-m-tḫ (see below).16-18

Fig. 20

Main views of Turin Cat. 3255 from four sides (photo by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Fig. 21

Two views of Turin Cat. 3255 with light shining through (photos by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Fig. 22

View of the inscription of Cat. 3255 under visible induced luminescence (VIL) (photo by Nicola Dell’Aquila and Federico Taverni/Museo Egizio).

Next to the long-debated dating issue which could be solved by Faltings and Gessler-Löhr and is also supported by typological and archaeologically provenanced parallels,34 the question of the archaeological provenance of the calcite alabaster vessels and the cosmetic implement remains. Faltings and Gessler-Löhr could show that the stela of Mꜥḥw (III) most probably originates from his tomb at Saqqara, which implies that the stela owner and all the other people represented on it – including the king’s daughter Nbw-m-tḫ – had a certain connection to Memphis and the local palace.35 In terms of the origin of the high-class funerary goods of Nbw-m-tḫ, the earliest drawing of one of the objects from 1825 (I.7) provides a terminus ante quem for their appearance on the art market; all the other pieces have later appearance dates, such as 1827 (I.5), 1829 (I.1–4), 1832 (I.6–7 and II) and 1845 (I.10). These dates provide additional evidence to the fact that the Saqqara necropolis was extensively plundered in the 1820s, which led to the surfacing of objects on the art market in subsequent years. The Leiden pieces (I.1–4) belong to the Anastasi collection, whose small finds most likely come from Saqqara.36

For the Turin vessels, the date of acquisition and thus presence in the Regio Museo in Piemonte’s capital is “before 1855”, the publication year of Orcurti’s catalogue. Yet they do not necessarily belong to the Drovetti collection, which is, however, very likely.37 The 1822 Catalogo Sommario dei monumenti antichi egiziani componenti la collezione di cose Egizie del Cavaliere Drovetti contains a list of 90 “Vasi ed oggetti in Alabastro”.38 Among them, the most likely candidates for an identification with the vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ are enumerated in the following table (Table 3), excluding all non-fitting pieces, obvious “canopic jars” and other vessels described as having multi-lined inscriptions. To this compilation of objects, which were part of the Drovetti collection as early as 1820, were then also added the calcite alabaster artefacts of the general Ḏḥw.tj coming from his tomb in Saqqara, which are now in Turin.39

Table 3

Calcite alabaster vessels in the Drovetti list from 1820 (published in 1822) among which the vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ might be named.

The link between the calcite alabaster vessels of Ḏḥw.tj and Nbw-m-tḫ is of significance insofar as they were sold together as part of the Drovetti collection. This suggests in turn that the vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ are also likely to come from Saqqara. The objects of Ḏḥw.tj now kept in Turin, Paris and Leiden were probably brought to light in Saqqara sometime between 1820–22 by Giuseppe Nizzoli,40 while the burial of Ḏḥw.tj and his “Gold of Honour” are said to have been discovered in 1824 (or earlier)41 during work on behalf of Drovetti himself.42 Although the Drovetti collection has a certain focus on Thebes,43 the vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ are also mentioned by others as possibly coming from the Memphite region.44 Faltings and Gessler-Löhr furthermore state that the tomb of Nbw-m-tḫ at Saqqara would constitute an exceptional case, since 18^th Dynasty king’s daughters were – as the available evidence19-20 suggests – generally buried at Thebes in several wadis in the western mountains.45 However, until now, no evidence for Nbw-m-tḫ has come to light at Thebes. At Saqqara, on the other hand, at least one tomb of a royal woman, the daughter of either the prince (and later king) Merenptah or of prince Khaemwaset, called Ꜣs.t-nfr.t, from the mid-19^th Dynasty is known.46 The issue of the provenance of the alabaster vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ must thus remain open for now, but the available circumstantial evidence suggests that they indeed come from Saqqara, where the tomb of the mid-18^th Dynasty princess should most likely be sought.

The currently known set of cosmetic jars certainly belonging to the funerary equipment of the princess Nbw-m-tḫ comprises 12 calcite alabaster vessels of four different types:47 four kohl-pots (I.1–3 and I.12), four bag-shaped ointment-jars (I.4–8; I.8 missing its original rim), two nemset-vessels (I.9–10) and one squat jar with two handles and a lid (I.11). All were used as containers for makeup, unguents, or oils.48 The vessels in Turin are Cat. 3247, Cat. 3248, Cat. 3254 and Cat. 3255. In fact, it might be even possible that there are more vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ in the Museo Egizio;49 the lack of epigraphical data or earlier archaeological documentation or archival records, however, makes it currently impossible to identify any of these in the inventory-number range between Cat. 3248 and Cat. 3254 (and possibly also among numbers after Cat. 3255) as certainly belonging to Nbw-m-tḫ (Figs. 23, 24).50

Besides addressing questions about the chaine opératoire of stone vessel manufacture, which are outside the scope of the present article,51 future research on the vessels of Nbw-m-tḫ might seek to identify the powder remains in Cat. 3248 and Cat. 3254, study the different styles of the inscriptions, determine what kind of tools (copper alloy and/or stone) were used in their fabrication, and find out what these vases can teach us about New Kingdom stone working technology and workshop organisation in more general terms.52 Finally, the re-discovery of the burial place of Nbw-m-tḫ at Memphis would not only shed further light on the local attachments of this member of the 18^th Dynasty royal family, but also allow scholars to address further chronological and functional questions regarding the princess’ calcite alabaster vessel set.

Fig. 23

From left to right: Cat. 3256 (3.8 × 10.2 cm; rim diam. 3.1 cm); Cat. 3250 (9.42 × 9.7 cm; outer neck diam. 4.5 cm); Cat. 3249 (12.1 × 7 cm [max. outer diam. at lower open base]; outer neck diam. 3.8; Cat. 3251 (8.4 × 7.6 cm; neck diam. 5.1 cm; outer rim diam. 6.72 cm and lower base diam. 4.35 cm).

Fig. 24

From left to right: Cat. 3252 (7.35 × 8.3 cm [outer rim diam.]; body diam. 6.8 cm; base diam. 6.55 cm); Cat. 3253 (6.9 × 8.5 cm [outer rim diam.]; body diam. 6.8 cm; base diam. 6.5 cm).

The author wants to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and detailed recommendations to improve the present work. Further warm thanks are due to Beatrix Geßler-Löhr, Melanie Flossmann-Schütze, Valentina Brambilla, Roberta Accordino, Kerstin Seidel, Francisco Bosch-Puche, Jan Dahms, Dietrich Raue, Tommaso Montonati, Federico Taverni, Nicola Dell’Aquila and Bianca Ciatti for further data, illustrations (including publication permissions), discussion and various forms of help and assistance during the work on this paper. Finally, Federico Poole, Divina Centore and (Paolo Bonacini) are thanked for their contributions to the smooth publication process.

Anonymous, “Collezione Drovetti, a. 1822. Catalogue de la collect. d’antiq. de mons. le chev. Drovetti”, in: Documenti inediti per servire alla storia dei musei d’Italia III, Firenze 1880, pp. 206–92.

Aston, Barbara G., Ancient Egyptian Stone Vessels: Materials and Forms (SAGA 5), Heidelberg 1994.

Bickel, Susanne, “Die Gräber KV 40 und KV 64 in der 18. Dynastie”, in: Susanne Bickel (ed.), Räuber – Priester – Königskinder. Die Gräber KV 40 und KV 64 im Tal der Könige: Die beschrifteten Objekte der 18. Dynastie und die Keramik (Swiss Egyptological Studies 2.1), Basel 2021, pp. 25–47.

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