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W127- is it or isn’t it a fake?

W127

 

 

This object has been in the Egypt Centre catalogued as ‘possibly a fake’. Until recently we didn’t have it on display. The reasons why we thought it was a fake is that it doesn’t have a handle and the cartouche on the blade, that of Menkheperre (Tuthmosis III), made us a bit suspicious.

However, Renaud Pietri has recently carried out some research on it and found two others (one in the Louvre,  one in the Hermitage Museum) which are very similar. He speculates that these might be model daggers. His paper can be downloaded at:

http://www.ecoledulouvre.fr/revue/numero1/Pietri.pdf

I am wondering if he is correct. After all, daggers in New Kingdom tombs do seem to be display items (a lot are quite showy).

The dagger was purchased by Wellcome in 1906 as part of the Rustafjaell collection.

And, now we have put it on display.

Other weapons in the Egypt Centre

W503- another copper alloy dagger in the Egypt Centre

Fake and questionable objects in the Egypt Centre

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