9 May 2006
14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street
Exploration, Travel & Topographical Pictures
Back to auction 13803
Exploration, Travel & Topographical Pictures
Back to auction 13803
Howard Carter (British, 1874-1939)
The Great pyramids of Khufu and Khafre at Giza, Egypt
signed 'Howard Carter'
watercolour
28.5 x 41.9 cm. (11 1/4 x 16 1/2 in.)
signed 'Howard Carter'
watercolour
28.5 x 41.9 cm. (11 1/4 x 16 1/2 in.)
Sold for
£6,960
inc. premium
Footnotes
- The pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops) is the oldest of the 'Great' pyramids and was built in 2600 BC, it stands 481 ft high and occupies a site of 13 acres.
The pyramid of Khafre was built in 2570 BC and is in fact 10 feet smaller than the pyramid of Khufu, though it appears larger as it stands on higher ground. It occupies a site of 11 acres and still retains a small top portion of the original limestone facing.
Howard Carter first visited Egypt in 1891 at the age of seventeen and in 1892 was invited to join Flinders Petrie during his excavations at El-Amarna. In 1900, Carter was appointed Chief Inspector of Antiquities to the Egyptian Government, but in 1905 he was forced to resign following a labour relations dispute.
It was in 1909 that Carter began work with the Earl of Carnarvon who had decided to finance some archaeological work in Egypt. In 1914 Carnarvon managed to secure a fifteen year concession to excavate in the Valley of the Kings, initially the results were disappointing, but on 4th November 1922 the first steps leading to the tomb of Tutankhamun were discovered.
Category: Fine Art / Watercolours
Auction terms and conditions
