A garden ornament which had been sitting on a patio for 20 years has turned out to be a rare 3,000-year-old ancient Egyptian jar.

The 13-inch high vessel was made during the time of the pharaohs to hold the organs of the dead ready for the afterlife.

With a distinctive top in the style of a face and easily recognisable headdress, the Canopic funerary jar had blended into its surroundings in a Dorset garden for two decades.

However, recently the owner took a second look at the garden ornament and spotted the Egyptian-style face looking at him.

He decided to have it examined by experts in case it turned out to be original – and was amazed when they said it was.

The terracotta jar with the top shaped with the face of the god Imseti was built to hold a human liver.

The goddess Isis would have protected it.

Dating from the New Kingdom – 1550-1069 BC – the brown coloured jar would once have been a painted receptacle to be used in a pyramid.

The item is now to be sold at auction at Duke’s in Dorchester by the experts who identified it.

Amy Brenan from the auctioneers said: “It is very rare to have something such as this brought to us. The owner had had it in his garden for about 20 years without realising what it was.

“It is incredible to think how old it is and what was happening in the world when this was made.

“These jars were made to hold the organs of the dead and this one was for livers and had the head of Ismeti as a lid.”

The vendor, from north Dorset, who wants to remain anonymous, said: “It came from an uncle who was a bit of a collector and when he died about 20 years ago it came to us.

“We didn't know what it was and we have kept it on the patio and in the shed over the years. It was just used as a decorative piece.

“Then I looked at it and saw it had a face and it looked a bit Egyptian so we took it in to be valued and was told it was from ancient Egypt.

“It was a great surprise that something that had been sitting there for some time unrecognised turned out to be so old.”

The jar is estimated to sell for about £1,000 when it goes under the hammer on February 5.

The jar is not worth more because it is damaged.