LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 23, 2005--A rare Mansoor portrait sculpture of an 18th dynasty Amarna Princess (ca 1363-1364 B.C.) goes live on eBay, the world's largest online marketplace, June 23rd at 10 AM P.S.T.

A rare portrait 4 inch pink limestone sculpture of an 18th dynasty Amarna Princess from 1364 B.C, she is the sister of King Tut and possibly the sister he married. From the Mansoor Amarna collection, it is being offered on eBay for $195,000 starting June 23rd at www.ebay.com/princess . The piece has been examined by leading experts, including Howard Carter's (King Tut Discovery) own chemist, Alfred Lucas, and found to be genuine. This is the first time in more than 50 years it has been offered on the market. (Photo: Business Wire)

Previews of the piece are now viewable at www.ebay.com/princess . The beautiful, delicately carved pink limestone head was last sold more than 50 years ago by the legendary M.A. Mansoor, to a private collector, who owned it till his death several years ago. The only other known pieces are on display in museums or held in private collections.

The exquisitely carved princess is descended from the most famous royal family known in ancient Egypt. Her father was history's first monotheist, Akhenaten, the heretic pharaoh, - while her mother was Queen Nefertiti, the world renowned beauty.

This Princess was a sister to the most remarkable pharaoh of all time, Tutankhamun (King Tut), and possibly, the one he married, Ankh-es-en-paten.

This princess head is in nearly perfect condition, the facial features and entire head are unblemished, the neck with a break, but repaired. The head is a complete sculpture unto itself, it was made in antiquity as a finished piece in the manner of a stopper to be inserted into the body of a statue.

Mr. M.A. Mansoor, admired and respected for his indisputable reputation and professional integrity, sold ten pink limestone sculptures from his Amarna Art collection to King Farouk of Egypt prior to World War II.

Mansoor was a fixture among the elite social circles at the Shepards Hotel in Cairo. In the early part of the 20th century, the "Golden Age" of Egyptology, his friends and clients included King Faud and Queen Nazli of Egypt, King Alphonse the 13th of Spain, King Carol of Romania, King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, and King Prajadhipok of Siam. English archaeologist Howard Carter, the famed discoverer of the tomb of Tutankhamun, acquired many antiquities from Mansoor for Lord Carnarvon, who financed the Carter Expedition.

In recognition of his outstanding abilities and legendary finds, M.A. 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 serious private collectors worldwide, including to the Chicago Oriental Institute.

Other pink limestone statues from the collection include: a unique full figure princess statue housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, a Nefertiti head at the Denver Art Museum, and several royal Mansoor Amarna art pieces on permanent display at the San Francisco State University Museum.

In an era where many antiquities are of dubious origins, there is significant archival documentation, and scientific reports, such as the Lucas Report, to support this pink limestone princess and the remarkable collection it was once part of. Award winning documentary film maker Paul Madelenat is currently in production on the Mystery of the Mansoor Armana collection, and calls its significance "one of the most important archeological finds in modern history."

For more information, please contact Eric Gazin, (323) 655-0554 or .

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