David Oscarson – The Rosetta Stone Collection - Grey

David Oscarson - The Rosetta Stone Collection

The Rosetta Stone Collection is the twenty-first edition in the David Oscarson series. Each color variation is limited to 77 pieces. The collection pays tribute to one of the most important archaeological discoveries in human history, which made the understanding of ancient Egyptian writing possible.

The stone was erected in 196 BC as a tribute to Ptolemy V, the young pharaoh whom priests in Memphis had confirmed as a divine ruler. The inscription summarizes this decision and was recorded in three scripts: hieroglyphs at the top, the language of the gods; Demotic, the everyday language; and Ancient Greek at the bottom, the administrative language of the Ptolemies. It was precisely this Greek passage that, over two thousand years later, became the key for Champollion, who deciphered the hieroglyphs in 1822.

French soldiers discovered the Rosetta Stone in 1799. After the French surrender, it was brought to England in 1801 and has been on display at the British Museum ever since. To this day, it remains its most visited exhibit.

The writing instruments in the collection are made of sterling silver, engraved multiple times, and finished with transparent and opaque hard enamel. Each component is individually guilloched, fired, filed, and polished until the characteristic glass-like surface is achieved.

The central feature of the collection is three rotating segments on the shaft. Each represents one of the three historical scripts and bears one of the terms from the original decree. As with the original, the correct alignment of all texts is achieved via the Greek section.

The cap features the winged sun disk of Horus, which, according to current research, once crowned the stone. The emblem is crafted in opaque enamel. A detailed impression of an ancient coin portrait of Ptolemy V sits atop the crown, while the corresponding eagle appears at the base of the shaft.

The clip features the Ankh, symbol of eternal life. The Rosetta Stone Collection combines historical significance with rigorous craftsmanship and is considered one of the most technically demanding works in the series.