Cotton and wool, 2nd half 20th c., flat-weave tapestry construction; the first a vertical Nile River scene with trees, animals, birds, and a building along the edge of a blue river where dolphins and a boat glide, signed (3 ft. 2 in. x 3 ft. 4 in. not including fringe) (wear and discoloration to fringe, otherwise good estate condition); the second a horizontal leafy landscape with goats and a bird, signed (2 ft. 3 in. x 2 ft. 3 in. not including fringe) (discoloration of fringe, otherwise good estate condition).

From the Collection of the late Mr. & Mrs. Paul and Betty Mushak, Durham, North Carolina

Wissa Wassef opened a weaving school for children in Harrania, Egypt, in 1951, which continues to this day as the Ramses Wissa Wassef Arts Centre in Giza. His goals were for children to learn patience, promote a dying traditional art, and he also believed that ‘every human being was born an artist but that their gift could be brought out only if artistic creation was encouraged by the practicing of a craft from early childhood.’