Egypt in Brooklyn - Archaeology Magazine Archive


Egypt in Brooklyn	January 24, 2002
by Mark Rose

A painted limestone stela, probably from Thebes (reign of Menuhotep, ca. 2102-2070 B.C.), depicts Inyotef, son of Ka, in a local style of the First Intermediate Period. Inyotef receives an offering from a small figure in front of him, while his three wives (not necessarily contemporary rather than serial) stand behind him. (© Trustees of the British Museum) [LARGER IMAGE]

Eternal Egypt: Masterworks Of Ancient Art From The British Museum, an outstanding exhibition curated by Edna R. Russman of the Brooklyn Museum (which has its own superlative Egyptian collection), presents 144 masterpieces from the British Museum and will travel to various cities in the United States through early 2004.

Most of the objects are arranged chronologically, with some thematic groupings such as scribal arts and jewelry. The earliest objects are a small ivory figure of a king from Abydos dating to ca. 3000 B.C. and an ivory plaque from the tomb of the 1st Dynasty king Den (ca. 2985 B.C.). While this timeline approach is helpful for ancient Egypt neophytes like me, it occasionally separates pieces that you might otherwise wish to compare side-by-side. One example is the head of Mentuhotep II (ca. 2055-2004 B.C.) and a head of Thutmose III (ca. 1479-1425 B.C.), both wearing the white crown. The two are similar in scale, but distinctive in styles and materials (Mentuhotep is in rough sandstone, his skin painted bright reddish brown and the crown white; Thutmose is carved out of fine-grained dark gray stone, unpainted but polished to a velvety finish).

The painted and gilded cartonnage (linen stiffened with plaster) mummy mask of Satdjehuty, a high-ranking member of Ahmose's court, shows her with a broad collar necklace, protective wings, and lapis-colored locks (early 18th Dynasty, ca. 1500 B.C.). (© Trustees of the British Museum) [LARGER IMAGE]

Many of the sculptures are large to colossal in size, such as a standing black granite figure of Sesostris III (ca. 1874-1855 B.C.), a red granite lion of Amenhotep III (ca. 1390-1336 B.C.), a pink granite statue of Ramesses II (ca. 1279-1213 B.C.), and a Hathor head capital from Bubastis (ca. 924-850 B.C.). My votes for best in show go to a white-and-brown banded quartzite head of Amenhotep III, looking pudgy faced and benign, and a seated sandstone figure of Sety II (ca. 1200-1194 B.C.) that embodies a static, impassive sense of power.

Several wooden statuettes are among the exhibition's highlights. These include an ebony figure of a 6th Dynasty (ca. 2345-1855 B.C.) palace official named Meryrahashtef, which the modern sculptor Henry Moore admired, and a late 18th or early 19th (ca. 1336-1279 B.C.) figure of a man wearing an elaborately pleated costume. A number of papyri are on display, including three vignettes from a 19th Dynasty (ca. 1295-1186 B.C.) Book of the Dead showing the funeral of Ani, with his mourning wife and associates; Ani in the Hall of Judgment; and scenes of Ani's life in paradise. Also on view is a satyrical papyrus of the 19th or 20th Dynasty (ca. 1295-1069 B.C.) depicting various animals in human roles, with predators and prey mixing: a lion and gazelle play a board game, while a hyena plays pipes as he leads his goats to pasture and a cat herds a flock of ducks.

This red granite lion was originally set up at the temple of Soleb by Amenhotep III (ca. 1390-1336 B.C.). Inscriptions indicate that Tutankhamun (ca. 1333-1327 B.C.) renewed it for his grandfather, Amenhotep III. Eventually the Kushite ruler Amanislo moved it (and its mirror-image companion) to Gebel Barkal, a Kushite site in what is now Sudan. (© Trustees of the British Museum) [LARGER IMAGE]

Several objects are familiar to aficionados of the late 18th Dynasty: a painted stela showing an aged Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye; a statue of Tutankhamun reinscribed for Horemheb, the general who came to power at the dynasty's end; and reliefs of Horemheb on which the uraeus, the rearing cobra denoting royalty, was added after his ascension. The creepiest objects in the exhibition are two wooden guardian demons from Horemheb's tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

A headset audio guide was well worthwhile, providing clear commentary on a number of the pieces that supplemented the placards at each display case. Actress Heather Headley reads the basic narration, but often introduces observations by others such as Brooklyn Museum curator Edna R. Russman and W. Vivian Davies and Richard Parkinson of The British Museum. There are children's versions of the audio tracks for a few of the objects.

An 18th Dynasty (ca. 1479-1425 B.C.) quartzite statue of Tety, from Karnak Temple, Thebes, is inscribed with a prayer across the top and columns listing his official titles. (© Trustees of the British Museum) [LARGER IMAGE]

A catalog, sharing the exhibition's title, is available in hardback and paperback versions from the University of California Press (published in association with the American Federation of Arts). The show's curator, Edna R. Russman, is lead author and editor with contributions by British Museum and Brooklyn Museum Egyptologists and others.

Organized by the American Federation of Arts and The British Museum, and funded primarily by the Ford Foundation, Eternal Egypt is very good. Anybody from Philadelphia to Boston who appreciates ancient Egypt should make the effort to see it before it heads for the Midwest at the end of February. Even diehards would depart satiated having seen the best of The British Museum and viewing Brooklyn's own ancient Egyptian masterpieces, then, perhaps, seeing New York's other Egyptian collection (I believe it is in Manhattan, but do not be deterred by that).

Mark Rose, ARCHAEOLOGY's executive editor, is a resident of Brooklyn.