Ancient Art & Natural History: A Cabinet of Curiosities

Provenance:

M.A. Mansoor, Cairo, Egypt.

L.A. Wilkie, Des Plaines, Illinois, acquired from the above, 1 October 1953.

(with certificate of authenticity)

During the early part of the 20th Century—the "Golden Age" of Egyptology—M.A. Mansoor was a fixture of the Shepherd's Hotel in Cairo. Located inside the hotel, his gallery was patroned by the world's social elite. His devotees included kings and queens of Africa, Europe, and Asia. In recognition of his outstanding abilities and legendary finds, Mansoor was appointed Antiquities Dealer to the King, the only person to receive such an honor in Egypt. This appointment secured his reputation and facilitated sales overseas to museums and private collectors worldwide. Perhaps one of the most notable relationships he formed was with the English archaeologist Howard Carter. Famed for discovering Tutankhamun's tomb, Carter acquired many antiquities from Mansoor for Lord Carnarvon, the financier of the Carter Expedition. 

Mansoor would later expand outside of Egypt and open a gallery in Beverly Hills, California. While in the United States he met Leighton Wilkie, the inventor of the machine bandsaw and founder of the DoAll Company. As is noted in a 1953 DoAll Company inter-office correspondence, Wilkie acquired the set of miniature tools seen here from Mansoor and were said to have been from the tomb of Tutankhamun. These miniature tools were later used as props for the company's much acclaimed "Civilization Through Tools" exhibit, which toured every state in the United States.