The most ordinary of things: Victorian artists and the allure of the ancient Egyptian collections at the British Museum
Raymond and Beverly Sackler Foundation Distinguished Lecture in Egyptology by Stephanie Moser, Southampton University – 19 July 2018
When the British Museum opened its first 'Mummy Room' in 1837, visitors flocked to the new gallery to inspect the impressive collection of mummies and the smaller antiquities more recently acquired by the Museum. Extended to two galleries soon after, the mummy rooms remained enormously popular with Museum audiences throughout the 19th century and still do to this day.
Among the many visitors who were captivated by the extensive range of domestic items displayed in these rooms were a number of prominent Victorian artists, including Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Sir Edward Poynter and Edwin Long. All were drawn to the humbler utilitarian objects that had survived the ravages of time, celebrating these most ordinary of things in a series of Egyptian themed paintings exhibited at the Royal Academy and other major art exhibitions. The highlight of their pictures in which the 'manners and customs' of the ancient Egyptians were the focus, was the emphasis on meticulously rendered household objects, many of which were copied from artefacts in the Museum. For these artists, the everyday items from Egyptian antiquity had a strong appeal because of their sheer 'ordinariness' and the way in which they had been so beautifully decorated by ancient artisans. With their vivid conceptions of the ancient Egyptians participating in the rituals of life, Alma-Tadema, Poynter and Long drew close attention to the material world of these ancestors, creating a highly evocative sense of their private lives.
In this lecture, Stephanie Moser, Southampton University, presented the results of a major research project on the intensive engagement that Victorian artists had with the Egyptian antiquities at the British Museum. She argued that while artists like Alma-Tadema, Poynter and Long enlisted the objects as a means of adding interest and veracity to their visual explorations of the past, their paintings also played a highly significant role in defining the 'lifestyle' of the ancient Egyptians.
Displaying Egypt
Colloquium – 19 and 20 July 2018
The British Museum has displayed Egyptian objects since it opened in 1759, from a variety of typological, thematic and chronological perspectives. The current galleries reflect approaches from 1979 (the Egyptian Sculpture gallery, Room 4) to 2014 (Early Egypt, Room 64). Temporary exhibitions, starting with the first UK blockbuster, The Treasures of Tutankhamun (1972), have allowed more experimental, nuanced and/or focused presentations, but also displays that diverge from the typically separate treatment of pharaonic, 'Coptic' and 'Islamic' Egypt, such as the exhibition Egypt: faith after the pharaohs (2014/15).
We are now considering how Egypt will be displayed in the next generation of British Museum galleries, prompting this colloquium that aimed to gather those researching how Egypt – of all periods – has been represented and interpreted for audiences through displays across the world, both in museums and beyond.
The representations of Egypt in public displays have, to varying degrees, reflected collecting/acquisition histories, disciplinary/institutional distinctions, historical/political/social contexts, aesthetic/design trends, economic drivers and audience expectations. Such displays have in turn helped inform and shape perceptions of Egypt past and present. Despite the growing focus on histories of Egyptology, and the study of Egypt and its heritage within the context of colonial and postcolonial histories, the subject of Displaying Egypt remains one rich with potential for further discussion and research.
A range of international speakers – from museum curators to archaeologists, museologists and historians presented papers responding to the following themes:
- How have displays of artefacts and human remains shaped perceptions and conceptions of Egyptian history and culture for different audiences?
- How have collecting and acquisition histories informed displays? Conversely, in what way have display requirements/desires shaped acquisition policies?
- To what extent have displays reflected and shaped research on Egypt? How has the non-display/storage of certain artefacts influenced research on, and perceptions of, Egypt?
- How have distinctive settings – national, local, institutional – shaped displays of Egypt? For what aims were such displays created?
- How have various contexts – such as colonialism/postcolonialism, or social, visual and design trends – influenced displays?
The colloquium did not focus solely on pharaonic Egypt.
