From the Predynastic Period (circa 5,000 - 3,100 B.C.) to the time of Cleopatra and the Roman occupancy (30 B.C. to 642 A.D.), the British Museum houses the foremost collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world. The Eternal Egypt exhibition is a rare opportunity to view such a magnificent and astounding selection of objects, over half of which have never been seen outside of London.

Eternal Egypt is the first major survey exhibition that approaches the fascinating world of ancient Egypt from an art historical standpoint and is designed to highlight the evolution and achievements of Egyptian art over a period of more than 3,500 years. Ranging from intimate treasures to monumental statues, the diverse works on display encompass the entire repertoire of the ancient Egyptian artist and include sculpture, papyri, pottery shards, jewelry, cosmetics, and funerary objects, as well as portraits and personal possessions of famous pharaohs, including Akhenaten, Amenhotep III, and Ramesses the Great.

Arranged chronologically, the installation allows viewers to see how dramatically this art changed over time and provides an overview of the richness and scope of this exceptional collection. The works on display were chosen not only for their role in telling the story of ancient Egyptian art, but also for their sheer visual splendor. This selection represents the best of The British Museum’s holdings, and includes many of the museum’s well known "pilgrimage pieces," as well as more rarely seen but no less beautiful works. The works in the exhibition comprise a wide variety of media including stone, ivory, terracotta, wood, papyrus, glass, and gold – the metal of the pharaohs.

Highlights of Eternal Egypt include a splendid gilded cartonnage mummy mask, leaves from several Books of the Dead, a colossal quartzite portrait head of Amenhotep III, a haunting Greco-Roman period mummy portrait, a marvelously sculpted red granite lion and the only seated statue of King Sety II.

As a complement to the Eternal Egypt exhibition, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is creating a special Mummy Room. Exclusive to the Minneapolis venue, the room will feature two examples of human mummified remains encased in cartonnage laid in brightly decorated coffins (sarcophagi). The Mummy Room will also display an extraordinary x-ray that reveals the mysterious remains of Lady Tashat – a young woman from the late Kingdom period.

Images:

(Top) Head of Amenhotep III
From Thebes, funerary temple of Amenhotep III
New Kingdom, Eighteenth Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III (ca. 1390-1352 B.C.)
Quartzite, Height 52-3/8 in.
EA 7, acquired in 1835 at the sale of the Salt Collection
©Trustees of The British Museum, Courtesy AFA

(Middle, Left) Mummy Mask of Satdjehuty
Provenance unknown
New Kingdom, early Eighteenth Dynasty (ca.1500 B.C.)
Cartonnage, painted and gilded, Height 13 in.
EA 29770, acquired in 1880, purchased at Morten & Sons from the sale of the collection of Samuel Hull
©Trustees of The British Museum, Courtesy AFA

(Middle, Center) 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.)
Red Granite, 43-3/4 x 85-1/8 x 37-5/8 in.
EA 2, acquired in 1835, gift of Lord Prudhoe
©Trustees of The British Museum, Courtesy AFA

(Middle, Right) Pseudo-block Statue of Sety
From Thebes, Karnak Temple
New Kingdom, Eighteenth Dynasty, reign of Thutmosis III (ca. 1479-1425 B.C.)
Quartzite, Height 23-3/8 in.
EA 888, acquired in 1909
©Trustees of The British Museum, Courtesy AFA

(Bottom) Mummy, Cartonnage and Coffin of Lady Tashat  
about 1085 B.C. - 710 B.C.  
Cartonnage of painted linen; polychromed pine coffin  
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts 
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