Probably from the Temple of Neith at Sais;

Former Collection of Commander Sir John Francis Whitaker Maitland (1903-1977);

Collection sale, Sotheby's, London, 30 April 1935, described as lot no. 24 with reproduction on plate II of lot no. 22;

Consigned by Sir Alan Gardiner on the occasion of this sale;

Collection of Dr F., Switzerland, since the 1960;

Then by inheritance to the present owner, private Parisian collection

The figure, wearing a purse-like wig, must have been dressed in a simple loincloth. What remains of the inscriptions on the back pillar can be reduced to extracts from Appeal to the living. In it, the man declares his loyalty to the patroness of Sais, Neith, reminding us that "he who deviates from his path is doomed to be condemned".

After being in the possession of Sir John Francis Whitaker Maitland (1903-1977), the object was offered for sale in London at Sotheby's on 30 April 1935; it is listed as lot 24 in the catalogue, where its description is accompanied by a photograph, reproduced on pl. III, which is in fact that of lot 22. On this occasion, some of its inscriptions were copied by Sir Alan Gardiner (1879-1963), the famous English Egyptologist, which confirms its presence in this sale (Gardiner, Notebook 126, p. 12).