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Temples and Tombs
Treasures of Egyptian Art from the British Museum
Title: Fragment of a Battle Scene with Defeated Asiatics From Thebes,
Deir el Bahri, funerary temple of Mentuhotep II
Middle Kingdom, Eleventh Dynasty, reign of Mentuhotep II
(ca. 2055-2004 B.C.)
Medium: Limestone, Painted
Dimensions: 23 ¾ x 26 inches (60.2 x 66 cm)
EA 732, gift of the Egypt Exploration Fund, 1906
Trustees of The British Museum
Image Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
King Tut, Ramses, the Queen of the Nile and Nefertiti are all all household names evoking images of
Pharaohs and their exquisite royal collection of gold and other objects. The British
Museum has one of the outstanding collections of Egyptian antiquities and graciously has organized a loan of some of their impressive works in a traveling exhibit entitled
Temples and Tombs
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Title: Head from a Statue of Thutmosis III
Probably from Karnak
New Kingdom, Eighteenth Dynasty, reign of Thutmosis III (ca. 1479-1425 B.C.)
Medium: Graywacke Dimensions: Height 17 ½ inches (44.5 cm)
EA 986, acquired in 1875, purchased from Selima Harris
Trustees of The British Museum
Image Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
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Among the items will be sculpture, relief, papyri, ostraca, jewelry, cosmetic objects, and funerary items in a variety of media such as stone, wood,
terra cotta, gold, glass and papyrus; selected to illustrate both the richness and scope of the British Museum’s exceptional collection.
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Title: Lion of Amenhotep III Reinscribed for Tutankhamun
From Gebel Barkal,
Originally from Soleb New Kingdom, Eighteenth Dynasty,
Reign of Amenhotep III (ca. 1390-1352 B.C.)
Medium: Red Granite Dimensions: 43 ¾ x 85 1/8 x 37 5/8 inches (111 x 216 x 95.4 cm)
EA 2, acquired in 1835, gift of Lord Prudhoe
Trustees of The British Museum
Image Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
In her contribution to the catalog that accompanies the exhibition, Guest Curator Edna R. Russmann explains,
“The Egyptians were passionate in their love of life. It inspired in them an equally strong determination to make life last forever,
a goal they pursued with extraordinary intensity and ingenuity. It seems ironic that we should be the accidental beneficiaries of their quest for eternal life.
We are extremely fortunate that this quest extended to surrounding themselves in death with objects from life in tombs and temple caches.”
Title: Pectoral Plaque: Amenemhat IV Before Atum
Provenance unknown
Middle Kingdom, Twelfth Dynasty, reign of Amenemhat IV
(ca. 1808-1799 B.C.)
Medium: Gold Dimensions: 1 ¼ x 1 ¼ inches (3 x 3 cm)
EA 59194, donated by the Birmingham Jewellers’ and Silversmiths’ Association, 1929
Trustees of The British Museum
Image Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
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The opening is royal; the premiere section examines the role of the Egyptian king as the intermediary between the divine and human worlds.
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Title: Kneeling Figure of Nekhthorheb
Provenance unknown
Late Period, Twenty-sixth Dynasty, reign of Psamtik II (595- 589 B.C.)
Medium: Quartzite
Height 44 3/8 inches (112.5 cm)
EA 1646, acquired in 1914, purchased from J. Backshall,
formerly in the collections of H. T. Montresor and E. Coke
Trustees of The British Museum
Image Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
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The
Pharaoh was
instantly recognizable with his rich clothing, crown and via the oval
cartouche. The Egyptian king was considered to be the highest-ranking mortal and thus the one best able to please the gods.
The second section explores objects that nobles and artists used in their day-to-day activities.
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Title: Striding Figure of Meryrahashtef
From Sedment Old Kingdom, Sixth Dynasty (ca. 2345-2181 B.C.)
Medium: Ebony and Sycamore
Dimensions: Height 22 7/8 inches (58.1 cm)
EA 55722, acquired in 1923, purchased with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund
Trustees of The British Museum
Image Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
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A key aspect of Temples and Tombs is the use of private statues in both temples and of course tombs. The earliest statues of private individuals were always located
in tombs as this was the place that the Egyptians believed the spirit of the deceased could reside.
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Title: Book of the Dead, Papyrus of Nebseny: Offering Scene From a Memphite cemetery
Probably Saqqara New Kingdom, Eighteenth Dynasty (ca. 1400-1390 B.C.)
Medium: Papyrus, Black and Red Inks
Dimensions: 14 1/8 x 25 7/8 inches (35.8 x 65.8 cm)EA 9900/32,
Acquired in 1836 from the collection of James Burton
Trustees of The British Museum
Image Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
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Title: Funerary Stela of Deniuenkhonsu
Probably from Thebes
Third Intermediate Period (ca. 950-900 B.C.)
Medium: Sycamore Wood, Painted
Dimensions: 13 1/8 x 10 5/8 inches (33.2 x 27 cm)
EA 27332, acquired in 1896
Trustees of The British Museum
Image Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
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The last section focuses on tombs; Egyptian views of death and the afterlife.
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Temples and Tombs was organized by the British Museum and the American Federation of Arts.
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Title: Kneeling Girl Holding Kohl Pot
From Thebes Middle Kingdom, Twelfth Dynasty (ca. 1985-1795 B.C.)
Medium: Steatite
Dimensions: Height 3 1/8 inches (7.8 cm)
EA 2572, acquired in 1835 at the sale of the Salt Collection
Trustees of The British Museum
Image Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
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AFA Director Julia Brown remarked, “Temples and Tombs marks the second collaboration between the AFA and the British Museum and we could not be more pleased to have the opportunity to work together to bring these extraordinary works of antiquity to a wide national audience.”
Title: Ostracon Sketches of Lion Head and Nestlings
Probably from Thebes
New Kingdom, Nineteenth or Twentieth Dynasty
(ca. 1295-1069 B.C.)
Medium: Limestone, Painted
Dimensions: Height 4 ¾ inches (12 cm)
EA 26706, acquired in 1891, purchased via the Reverend Greville Chester
Trustees of The British Museum
Image Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
Temples and Tombs:
Treasures of Egyptian Art from the British Museum
Oklahoma City Museum of Art:
September 7 - November 26, 2006
Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens:
December 22, 2006 – March 18, 2007
North Carolina Museum of Art:
April 15 2007 – July 8, 2007
Albuquerque Museum of Art and History:
November 16, 2007 – February 10, 2008
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