Antique Grand Tour Bronze & Marble LUXOR OBELISK Place De La Concorde Paris 1836
Item History & Price
Description:Theitem up for bids is an antique 19thcentury Grand Tour desk model of the Luxor Obelisk at the Place de laConcorde in Paris, France. It is made from bronze and is mounted on agreen marble plinth. One of the obelisk sides has a temperaturescale and mounting holes where it once held a thermometer (unfortunately thethermometer is gone). The scale goes from 0 to 120 degrees. The model is afaithful depiction of the original and the sides of the obelisk aredecorated with molded ...hieroglyphs honoringthe Pharaoh Ramses II. The pedestal has depictions of the apparatus used to lower the obelisk in Egypt, transport it bybarge, and then raise it in Paris. There is a cast metal fencesurrounding the base. The obelisk is mounted with a single threadedrod and the fence has two mounting holes that are filled withplaster. There is a worn paper label affixed to the base. Ç'estun fabuleux souvenir antique de Paris, have some fun and bid!The Luxor Obelisks (French: Obélisquede Louxor) are a pair of Ancient Egyptian obelisks carved to standeither side of the portal of the Luxor Temple in the reign ofRamesses II. The left-hand obelisk remains in its location in Egypt, but the right-hand stone, 23 metres (75 ft) high, is now at thecentre of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France. The LuxorObelisk in Paris was classified officially as a Monument historiquein 1936; beneath it is the Métro station, Concorde. The obelisks areof yellow granite and inscribed with hieroglyphs in honour of thePharaoh Ramesses II. Luxor Obelisk in the Place de laConcorde, Paris The 3, 000 year-old obelisks wereoriginally both situated outside of Luxor Temple. The Parisianexample first arrived in Paris on 21 December 1833, having beenshipped from Luxor via Alexandria and Cherbourg, and three yearslater, on 25 October 1836, was moved to the centre of Place de laConcorde by King Louis-Phillipe. It had been given to France byMuhammad Ali Pasha, ruler of Ottoman Egypt in exchange for a Frenchmechanical clock. After the Obelisk was taken, the mechanical clockprovided in exchange was discovered to be faulty, having probablybeen damaged during transport. The clock still exists in aclock-tower at Cairo Citadel and is still not working.The granite obelisk rises 23 metres(75 ft) high, including the base, and weighs over 250 metrictons (280 short tons). Given the technical limitations of the day, transporting it was no easy feat: The French government ordered apurpose-built seagoing freighter built by the Toulon naval yard; this49 metres long, flat bottomed, three masted ship named the Louqsorwas sailed up the Nile to Luxor where 300 workmen dug a canal toallow the ship to come close to the obelisk. The French seamen thenlowered the obelisk with an array of blocks and tackles, yardarms andcapstans. In August 1832, the French paddle ship Sphinx sailed toAlexandria to rendezvous there with the barge Louqsor, which was toload the obelisk and bring it to Paris. Sphinx then towed Louqsorback to France. The ships departed on 1 April 1833 and reached Toulonon 10 May. The ships arrived at Cherbourg on 12 August 1833. There-erection of the obelisk on the Place de la Concorde during aceremony carefully planned by King Louis-Philippe I was not an easyengineering feat either. This successful French transport operationpredates the eventful transport of Cleopatra's Needle by the Britishby more than thirty years. The present day pedestal was originallyintended for an equestrian statue of King Louis XVI by Cortot, whichwas destroyed during the July Revolution in 1830. On the pedestal aredrawn diagrams explaining the complex machinery that was used for thetransportation, just as the pedestal of the Obelisk of Theodosius hasrelief carvings showing that ancient Egyptian obelisk's re-erectionin Constantinople. The Paris obelisk is flanked on both sides byfountains constructed at the time of its erection. The originalEgyptian pedestal included the statues of sixteen fully sexedbaboons. Deemed too obscene for public exhibition; it is displayed inthe Egyptian section of the Musée du Louvre.Missing its original pyramidion(believed stolen in the 6th century BC), the government of Franceadded a gold-leafed pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk in 1998.Source: wikipedia.orgCondition:Thecondition is fair antique. The obelisk has a heavily aged patina. Thereis dust in the recesses and grime on the marble around the base ofthe obelisk and along the fence line. The obelisk has scuffs, scrapes, scratches, and dings, and there are a few paint specks. Themarble plinth has a few small edge chips and edge dings (photo 11shows the worst). There is a circular scratch/rub pattern on the topof the plinth where the obelisk twisted and turned on its mountingrod over the years. The fence is intact with no breaks. The picturesare the best indicator as to condition, please use the zoom featureand check them out.Dimensions:It isabout 7-1/2" tall including the marble plinth. The marble isabout 3-5/8" x 3-5/8". It weighs about 1-1/4 pounds.(Note:measurements are approximate)Shipping:Thebuyer of this fine item will be responsible for shipping costs whichwill be added to the final bid.We usethe US Postal Service for shipping. Shippingcosts and options are described on the "Shipping and payments"tab in the listing.We shipas soon as possible after the auction ends, generally the businessday following the date payment is received.PaymentOptions:Paymentmust be received within 2 days of the auction’s closing. Weaccept PayPal. PleaseReview Our General Auction Policies: Theitems we sell are vintage or antique, and as such they will showvarying signs of age and wear (i.e. abrasions, dings, patina, etc.).We do our best to describe all of our items, but often we don'toverstate the obvious signs of age that are inherent in vintageitems. Please view all the photographs closely as they are importantelements in the item’s description. If you have specific questionsor concerns please ask for more information before you bid. We donot sell "on approval". We make every attempt to provideaccurate information pertaining to condition so sales are final. In theevent that an item is materially different from the description, please contact us within 2 days of receiving your package and we willreview returns on a case by case scenario. Under no circumstanceswill shipping charges be reimbursed, so please bid accordingly.InternationalBuyers – Please Note: Importduties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price orshipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Pleasecheck with your country's customs office to determine what theseadditional costs will be prior to bidding or buying.Questions:If youhave questions, please email before bidding. We will be happy toprovide additional information as needed. We are here to help.
