Shop front carved of wood, fitted into pieces forming a geometric pattern, Egypt, Cairo, Ottoman period, 1800-99

Large rectangular shaped shop front of a chemist's or barber shop, carved into two sections adjoined in the middle: the left side consists of a large horse shoe arch with a small turned screen (mashrebiyya) window above and small square panels; on either side of the arch is a carved floral spray. The right side of the shop front has a smaller carved window with a polylobed arch, decorated with square and rectangular shaped panels at the top and bottom of the window, and a row of small balustrades. A thin border of spiral bands decorates the outer edge of the entire shop front.

Bought from Reverend Greville John Chester (RF: 1453/71).

The Reverend Greville John Chester (1830-1892), born in Denton, Norfolk, studied at Oxford and became an ordained clergyman before sickness forced him to retire in 1865. For his ailing health, he was encouraged to travel to Egypt, making his first visit that year; he subsequently travelled there almost every year until his death, alongside journeys elsewhere across the Mediterranean and Near East. Each year, Chester bought items en masse, to sell or donate to British institutions upon returning. His acquisitions form a considerable backbone of the early holdings at the V&A, British Museum, Ashmolean and Fitzwilliam. His contributions to the Victoria and Albert Museum incorporate both ancient and Islamic artefacts, predominantly but not exclusively purchased in Egypt; the most significant acquisitions include several hundred fragments of Late Antique textiles from Akhmim, given to the museum between 1887 and 1892. Chester was widely regarded as having a keen eye for acquisitions, and cultivated close friendships with several prominent Egyptologists. He was also notable for recording the provenance of many ancient items he purchased, an unusual practice for the time.

1453:1-1871