Mummified falcon from ancient Egypt on sale at Abu Dhabi Art for $90,000

Skeleton of bird is among few ever found fully intact

A rare mummified falcon from Egypt that dates back about 2,600 years is to go on sale this week at Abu Dhabi Art, where it is priced at Dh329,324 ($89,660).

The mummy, which is in its original wooden sarcophagus carved in the shape of a falcon, comes from a private collector from Austria, who acquired it when it was exhibited in France in the 1980s. The coffin measures 55cm in length, with the mummy wrapped in a linen cloth and its head painted in beige and black. It is a rare artefact because its body is fully intact.

"Usually you have either the sarcophagus or the actual mummy, but here you have both together," Hugo Wetscherek, owner of rare bookseller Antiquariat Inlibris, told The National. The business is handling the sale of the mummy, known as The God of the Pharaoh.

An X-ray image shows the skeleton is intact, with its wings folded like a human mummy. The right wing is broken, indicating the animal was intended as a sacrificial offering. The listing says it dates back to the 26th dynasty of Egypt, which is the sixth to seventh century BC.

The lid of the sarcophagus is carved in the shape of a falcon to resemble the ancient Egyptian god Horus, who represented "healing, protection, the sun and the sky". Mr Wetscherek said the artefact was "one of a kind" and its value was expected to "increase over time".

The head of the mummified falcon is painted in beige and black. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art Fair

"Everything which is rare increases in value," he added. "Also, because there might not be another falcon mummy available for the next 50 years to come."

Apart from the mummified falcon, Inlibris sells antique and rare books at exhibitions around the world.

Abu Dhabi Art takes place every November under the patronage of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and brings together local and international artists. It is to run this year from November 20 to 24 at Manarat Al Saadiyat.

Centuries-old Mummy head finds a new home

Last year, a 2,800-year-old preserved head of an Egyptian mummy hit the auction block in Swan Fine Art in Oxfordshire, England.

It has moved to its anonymous buyer’s private collection, after being on display at a Belfast antique store - On The Square Emporium.

Although the price was not disclosed, it was initially estimated to fetch up to Dh91,823 ($25,000).

“As far as I am aware this is the only mummy’s head that is for sale [in Northern Ireland], or has been for private sale in the last few decades,” store owner Justin Lowry told local media.

The head was taken from Egypt by a British soldier during World War I. It was initially displayed under a glass dome, but the soldier’s family hid it away in a drawer for the next century because it “disturbed the guests”.

Mummies offer incredible insight into ancient Egyptian beliefs about life, death and afterlife that existed more than 3,000 years ago. It stands as one of the most fascinating and intricate practices of the ancient world, helping scientists unearth crucial learnings about past civilisations based on individual burial grounds.