A Royal Egyptian Faience Plaque inscribed with the Cartouches Ramses IV, New Kingdom, ca. 1200 - 1085 BCE

A rare double-sided faience plaque in the form of a cartouche, glazed in green-brown tones with traces of surface patination.  Pierced for suspension, each side bears an incised royal cartouche with one side enclosing the prenomen Usermaatre-Meriamun (“The Justice of Ra is Powerful, Beloved of Amun”), the other, the nomen Ramses, Son of Ra. These inscriptions firmly identify the piece with Ramses IV, third ruler of Egypt’s 20th Dynasty and identify the object as royal, honoring the king. The warm, light-brown glaze retains excellent clarity to the hieroglyphs, despite its small size, demonstrating the fine workmanship of New Kingdom faience craftsmen.

Ramses IV (r. 1153–1147 BCE) ascended the throne after his father, Ramses III, during a time of internal economic stress and external instability. Despite his short reign of only six years, he sought to emulate the monumental ambitions of his predecessors, commissioning temples and sending vast expeditions to quarry stone at Wadi Hammamat.

Medium: Faience

Dimensions: Height: 1/2 inch (1.27 cm)

Condition: Very good condition

Provenance: Thilo and lzora Steinschulte private collection, VA, acquired in 1984 from Alex G. Malloy Inc., New York, then by descent. Accompanied by a copy of the original collector's paperwork.

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