BOSTON, MA — A hieroglyphic manuscript by Rosetta Stone translator Jean Francois Champollion will be auctioned by Boston-based RR Auction.
The incredible one-page handwritten hieroglyphic manuscript by Jean-Francois Champollion, that is unsigned and undated (circa 1828-1830).
The manuscript is penned on the reverse of a page of bibliographical notes on the naturalist Lacepede written by Etienne Pariset, who befriended Champollion while in Egypt to study the spread of infectious disease.
In the manuscript, Champollion first explains the way in which the hieroglyphics are read: under the word “fig,” he draws a walking man; under the word “symbol,” he draws legs in movement; and under the word “phone,” the Egyptian verb “to come.”
This first line reveals the complex mechanism of the hieroglyphic system, which uses the figurative, symbolic, and phonetic all at once. Below this, he writes a sentence in hieroglyphics with its translation in French just below, group by group: “Happy life to you, amiable friend of mine.” He then writes the Egyptian verb “to open,” which he transcribes “ouin,” and also transliterates to Coptic. On the side, he writes the verb “to have thirst,” transcribed beside “ib” with two variants. To the lower right is a series of figures in different attitudes, similar to that which appears on the third page of the first edition of Champollion’s Grammaire Egyptienne [Egyptian Grammar]. At the bottom is a long hieroglyphic sentence that resembles certain hymns of the sun, “I adore Re when it rises and illuminates all the lands by its rays [followed by a problematic sign with translation below “so that”] he gives me a beautiful burial in his house of eternity.”
Written by Champollion while in Egypt to verify in situ the veracity of his discoveries related to hieroglyphics, this manuscript suggests preparatory notes for his important work Egyptian Grammar, which was published posthumously in 1836.
“Any autographic material from Champollion is exceedingly rare, and this is obviously an absolutely spectacular specimen,” said Bobby Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction.
Among other items to be featured:
Isaac Newton 1721 document as the Master of the Royal Mint.
Dave Scott’s Celestial navigation star chart used in the Lunar Module and carried to the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 15 Mission.
Rare flight qualified Apollo/Skylab Series 308 Maurer Data Acquisition Camera.
Edgar Mitchell’s Apollo 14 Lunar Bible housed within a Faberge Egg.
The Fine Autographs and Artifacts Auction from RR Auction began on May 19 and will conclude on June 14. More details can be found online at www.rrauction.com.