A Brief Presentation of the Egyptian Collection at

the Accademia dei Concordi, Rovigo, Italy.

A look at published and unpublished objects
Simone Musso and Simone Petacchi

The Accademia dei Concordi, Rovigo, was founded in 1580 by Count Gaspare Campo, a local
patron of the arts and was established as a permanent art collection by the Doges at the end of
seventeenth century. The collection was further enhanced during the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries by donations from other art and antiquities collectors, one of whom was Giuseppe Vals
Pantellini (18261890), (Fig. 1) born in Rovigo, who emigrated to Egypt, where he acquired a
number of prestigious hotels, and was appointed by the Khedive to organize the grand ceremonial
banquet for the opening of the Suez Canal (Dolzani 1969, 5).
Because of his influential position in Egypt he was approached by the Director of the
Accademia with a view to acquiring Ancient Egyptian artefacts and, in 187879 he despatched
to Rovigo five wooden boxes containing antiquities (Turri 2005, 103109). The collection was
subsequently expanded by the addition of pieces donated by other collectors such as G. Miani and
E. Piva. However, it is unfortunately not possible to link specific artifacts with specific donors
because of insufficient data in the academys
archives.
There are approximately five hundred pieces
in the Egyptian collection, the majority of which
are thought to have formed part of the contents of
the original wooden boxes despatched from Egypt.
The new catalogue now under preparation will
comprise both those on display and those held in
storage, in contrast to the thirty five percent of the
collection published in the first edition edited by
Claudia Dolzani in 1969. Also, the two mummies
in the collection (a female adult and a baby) will
be scientifically analysed by CAT scans, DNA
testing and radiocarbon dating.
The Egyptian collection of Rovigo spans the
periods from the Old Kingdom to the GraecoRoman occupation of Egypt. The Accademia
dei Concordi holds five epigraphic stelae: four
funerary and one votive. Three of the funerary
Figure 1. Portrait of G. Vals Pantellini by
type are family stelae. The first (Dolzani 1969, 25,
G.
Cessi (courtesy of the academys archives).
pl. 12) (Fig. 2) (24 cm x 10.8cm), of limestone, is

A Brief Presentation of the Egyptian Collection at the Accademia dei Concordi

Figure 2. Family stela, Middle Kingdom,

ACCE 00120

107

Figure 3. Stele of Tyty, Middle Kingdom, Hermitage

Museum, St. Petesburg, accession n8729. After
www.globalegyptianmuseum.org

roughly rectangular in shape, with inscribed recessed border. It is ascribed to Ameny and dates
to the Middle Kingdom (XIIXIII Dynasty). It is roughly inscribed, as evidenced by the cursive
form of writing, in sunk relief filled by a greenish powder, possibly malachite. The inscription
contains the standard offering formula to Osiris and the standard list of names to whom it is
addressed. The majority of personal names confirm the date of the stela, but neither the title of
the tomb owner nor his family members are given. This stela, however, is of exceptional rarity
for the reversed falcon markings under the wadjet eyes in the lunette.
Similar in shape, inscription and decoration is the stela of Tyty from Abydos, in the Hermitage
Museum, St. Petersburg (Fig. 3). The method of engraving and cursive style of the hieroglyphs
would date both stelae to the same period. The same provenance, however, cannot be assumed,
as confirmed by the recent study of Rosati (2003, 91).
Also in the Rovigo collection is a fragment of a funerary stela of Ramesside date (Dolzani
1969, 1418, pl. 8) (Fig. 4). The right-hand side of the lunette is inscribed with six standing and
barefoot figures (two male and two female), facing inwards. The elongated figures, their long
figure-hugging garments, pointed sleeves, and tripartite wigs date the object to the XIXXX
Dynasty.

108

Simone Musso and Simone Petacchi

Figure 4 (above). Virtual reconstruction of

the Ramesside family stela, ACCE 00117
Figure 5 (right). The Ibis-Thoth stele, New
Kingdom, ACCE 00133

A further fragment (Dolzani 1969, 24) (Fig. 5) would originally have formed the centre of a
stela with similar lunette. Its purpose was votive and it is dedicated to Thoth, who is shown here
in the centre of the stela as the sacred Ibis on its standard before an offering table. Despite the
surface damage, the refinement of line and superbly drawn naturalism of the bird can clearly be
observed. To the left of the offering table is a podium with cavetto cornice, from which emerges
a portion of tail, perhaps belonging to the figure of another god associated with Thoth, but this
is difficult to confirm with certainty.
The lower register portrays two erect male figures with bare torsos and shaven heads, possibly
priests, facing towards the right. The right hand figure, with raised hands and hunched shoulders
appears to be in the act of adoration. The second, whose pleated kilt has also been preserved,
bears a bouquet of papyrus and lotus flowers which touch the shoulders of the figure in front.
Stylistically and iconographically for example in the elongated shape of the skull and attitude
of adoration this stela reflects the art of the Amarna Period. The date, therefore, is likely to
be the beginning of the XIX Dynasty.
Fig. 6 shows the painted wooden funerary stela of Pa-Wer (Dolzani 1969, 2022, pl. 11) which
belongs to a group of commemorative or decree-type stelae of the Ptolemaic Period, and which
would originally have rested on a pair of stepped plinths which have not been preserved. The
decoration is divided into three registers framed by a coloured border. The lunette depicts a djed
pillar with scarab beetle supporting a winged sundisk with four pendant uraei. This is flanked by
two couchant and confronted jackal figures representing Wepwawet or Anubis as guardians of
the deceased. In the pictorial register, Pa-Wer is presented by Anubis to Osiris attended by Isis
and Nepthys, who hold up their right hands in a gesture of protection. Anubis leads the deceased
by his right hand and, in his left, holds the papyrus containing the above-mentioned decree.
Also dating to the Ptolemaic Period is the large central portion of a wooden stela executed
in a cursory style (Dolzani 1969, 2324) (Fig. 7). The panel has been plastered and decorated
with three painted scenes and is pierced with five holes into which pins, some of which are still

A Brief Presentation of the Egyptian Collection at the Accademia dei Concordi

extant, were inserted to affix it to a further
board, thus forming the entire stela. The
lunette is decorated with a winged sundisk,
Horus the Behedite, and two mirror-image
uraei, of which only that on the right is
preserved, facing an offering table. The
lunette is separated from the register below
by a frieze of alternately coloured rectangles
and darts. The pictorial register holds a scene
of five mummiform figures, of which only
the first is crowned with a sundisk, and facing
towards the right. Each bears a wAs-sceptre
and elongated red band. The first figure, on
the right, is falcon-headed, the second, apeheaded, the third and fourth, human-headed
and the fifth has not been preserved. The
lower register of the stela is badly preserved
but the extant part of the hieroglyphic text
can be identified as the funerary Htp di nsw
formula, together with the names of the gods
Osiris, Anubis, Isis and Nepthys. The offering
itself can be read as KbH mw cool water.
The Rovigo collection also holds several
important items of funerary equipment:
a series of amulets, including scarabs
inscribed with various motifs and royal names
(Thutmosis III, Amenhotep I, Amenhotep III,
Seti I, Ramesses II), seventy examples of
ushabtis (although some are fragmentary),
made of moulded terracotta or faience, an
ushabti case inscribed with the name of its
royal owner (Dolzani 1969, 1114, pl. 78;
cf. Vandersleyen 2005, 43, 83) (Fig. 9), three
lids of canopic jars and one complete jar
inscribed with the name of Psametjekseneb
(Dolzani 1969, 18, pl. 9) two fragments of
coffin cartonnage with rishi band decoration
dated probably to the XXV Dynasty (Dolzani
1969, 2528, pl. 1314) (Fig. 8), and a
wooden mask of similar or later date. (Fig.
10).
The well-preserved ushabti coffin (Fig. 9)
may justifiably be deemed the masterpiece
of the Rovigo collection. It is carved from a
single block of Lebanese cedar wood which
attests to its use as a luxury item and exclusive

109

Figure 6. Stele of Pa-Wer, Graeco-Roman Period,

ACCE 00118

Figure 7. Mummified figurines on the GraecoRoman stela (a detail), ACCE 00136

110

Simone Musso and Simone Petacchi

Figure 8. The two cartonnage fragments with rishi

friezes, XXVth Dynasty, ACCE 00436a on the left
and ACCE 00436b on the right

privilege of the royal family in a period of constraints. The lid is decorated lengthwise with
sections of greenish-blue alternating with unpainted sections. The longer sides are decorated with
three panels separated by inscribed columns, emulating the palace-faade type of decoration.
The uninscribed central sections of the panels were originally covered with gold leaf.
The only title extant on this piece is sA nswt smsw - the elder son of the king, ie, the heir
to the throne, who unfortunately died at about six years old. If, therefore, the owner of this case
was Iahmes-Sapair (the second part of the name being acquired later), the son of SeqenenreDjehuty-Aa, the last king of the XVII Dynasty, as Vandersleyen (2005, 934) indeed thought
this to be, then this piece is one of only two objects bearing his name the other being a statue
on display in the Muse du Louvre, E15682 (Vandersleyen, 2005, 14).

Figure 9. Iahmes Sapairs ushabtis case, XVIIth Dynasty, ACCE 00463

A Brief Presentation of the Egyptian Collection at the Accademia dei Concordi

111

Fig. 10 shows the wooden funerary mask

(Dolzani 1969, 28) (32.5 cm x 28 cm) of
an unknown person probably dating to the
Late Period. Here, the eye and brow sockets
would originally have been inlayed with semiprecious stones such as obsidian and limestone,
but these have been removed in antiquity and
the cavities subsequently painted in white with
black pupils. The chin is indented, probably
for the insertion of a false beard. The earlobes
are pierced, probably for the insertion of
earrings, which may suggest that the deceased
was female. The wig is composed of alternate
yellow and green horizontal lines. At neck
level, a light blue line, which is still visible,
may be what remains of a wesekh-collar. The
tenon on the crown would have attached the
mask to the sculpted wig, which has not been
preserved.
A series of three cult objects on display in
Rovigo, namely three obelisk-shaped shrines
Figure 10. Coffin mask, Late Period, ACCE 00464
dating to the Ptolemaic Period (Dolzani 1969,
31, pl. 14, 16) (Fig. 11) merit particular
attention, not only for their rarity, but also for their function, which remains unclear. Made
of limestone, they are decorated in bas-relief and portray an image of a standing Osiris figure
wearing an atef crown, either alone or accompanied, in the lower right-hand corner, by a female
figure perhaps Isis. Some remaining traces of colour indicate that these figures were originally
painted in red and yellow. The interiors of two of the shrines (Fig. 11, ACCE 0098 and ACCE
0099, on the centre and on the right) have been hollowed out at the back, and the third (Fig. 11,
ACCE 0097, on the left) has a roughly circular hole in the base. These cavities may have held
some relevant object, such as a relic, associated with the Osiris figure sculpted on the front. The
absence of any trace of holes along the edge, or of any resin or damage on the surface, would

Figure 11. Osiris shrines. Left: ACCE 0097, Centre: ACCE 0098. Right: ACCE 0099

112

Simone Musso and Simone Petacchi

Figure 12. Left: OS 951. Right: OS 955, Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna

(drawing by S. Musso)

seem to indicate that the cavity remained uncovered, and leads to speculation that this type
of object was intended to be propped up on a domestic altar or inserted into a niche within a
temple. Some parallels can be drawn with examples in other Egyptian collections for example,
six pieces in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (Satzinger 1998, 419) (Fig. 12) and two
in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest (Nagy 1999, 8485) (Fig. 13 and Fig. 14). The Vienna
examples represent a variant of this type of shrine, showing an enthroned Osiris carved from a
block of wood instead of limestone and, in some cases, decorated with gilded plaster.
These shrines can be classified into two types:
Type 1 is represented by the lone standing figure of Osiris on the faade as per ACCE 0099
(Fig.13, Upper), which is similar to its wooden counterpart in Vienna (Fig. 13, Lower) containing
unidentified organic material, oblong in shape.
Type 2 is represented by a standing Osiris on the faade accompanied by a smaller proportioned
female figure on his left (Fig. 14.). In both examples presented here, the figures are painted in
red, and perhaps ochre, for the shrine in Budapest (Fig. 14, right), and in yellow-brown for the
Rovigo example (Fig. 14, left).
A further variant of Type 2 comprises an Osiris figure carved inside a niche with, on his left, a
presumed Isis figure (Fig. 15.), again in smaller proportions but now carved within a second,
smaller, niche. A third figure, kneeling, is sculpted on the back of the shrine, perhaps representing
another goddess.
An inevitable question is where were these objects deposited? Unfortunately we do not have
any information about their provenance, neither in the academy archives nor in the catalogue
entries of the museums of Vienna and Budapest. Moreover, in only three of the examples were
their contents preserved, and these are not identical. The gilded plastered example in Vienna (OS

A Brief Presentation of the Egyptian Collection at the Accademia dei Concordi

Figure 13. Type 1. Upper: ACCE 0099. Lower: OS 956, Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna
(drawing by S. Musso)

113

114

Simone Musso and Simone Petacchi

Figure 14. Type 2, Left: ACCE 0098. Right: 2003. 19E, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest,
(courtesy of Dr. I. Nagy). Lower: detail of mummified figurines on both shrines.

951) held a papyrus roll, whilst the undecorated example (OS 956) contained an unspecified
organic material.
It seems likely that this last example could be related to the Hungarian example, which
contained a mummified foetus. Foetus mummies are very rare in Egypt and this series of
containers does not reflect a specific custom. Why was an obelisk, a solar emblem, used perhaps
in a funerary rite? To which votive tradition could it be associated? Further investigation is
required and it is hoped that future fieldwork will contextualize these objects and provide some
answers.

A Brief Presentation of the Egyptian Collection at the Accademia dei Concordi

115

Figure 15. A variant of type 2, ACCE 0097

Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to Ms. Bocchia for proofreading the English manuscript
of the first draft and Mrs. Corbelli for the language re-drafting in the final version.

Bibliography
Dolzani, C. (1969) La collezione egiziana del Museo dellAccademia dei Concordi in Rovigo, Rome.
Nagy, I. (1999) Guide to the Egyptian Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest.
Rosati, G. (2003) La stele Rovigo n12 in Comunicazioni dellIstituto Papirologico G. Vitelli, n5,
Florence.
Satzinger, H. (1998) Osirianische Obelisken in der Wiener Sammlung in Clarysse et al. (eds) Egyptian
religion. The last thousand years. Studies dedicated to the memory of Jan Quaegebeur, Leiden.
Turri, A. (2005) Giuseppe Vals Pantellini in Romanato G. et al. (eds) Giovanni Miani e il contributo
veneto alla conoscenza dellAfrica... Atti del 27 convegno di studi storici, Rovigo, 14-15-16 novembre
2003, Rovigo.
Vandersleyen C. (2005) Iahms Sapar fils de Sqnenr Djhouty-Aa et la statue du Muse du Louvre
E 15682, Bruxelles.