Giovanni Anastasi (1780–1860) was born to Armenian family in Damascus. Around year 1797 he moved with his father to Alexandria, where Anastasi (adopted name) established himself as wealthy merchant and antiquarian. Anastasi served as Swedish-Norwegian Consul-General from 1828 until his death. He sold large collections of antiques to Dutch government in 1828, to British Museum in 1839 and to the French in 1857.[1][2] In 1839, the British Museum acquired from Anastasi's collection ostracon of Sinuhe.[3]
Ipuwer Papyrus is housed in the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden after being purchased from Giovanni Anastasi in 1828. [4]