Sunday, July 24, 2005

Charlotte collector's Egyptian artifacts on display

An article about the 90 items currently on display at the Mint Museum in North Carolina, mentioned earlier in the weblog when the exhibition first opened. A wide-ranging article based on an interview with Peter Lacovara, the curator of ancient Egyptian, Nubian and Near Eastern Art at Emory University's Michael C. Carlos Museum in Atlanta. Various subjects are discussed, ranging from individual pieces from the collection to subjects like the importance of the Rosetta Stone: "Among these works are mummy boards, scarabs, ceremonial vessels and figurines representing deities and servants. These objects were interred with the mummified remains of socially prominent Egyptians over a period of about 3,000 years ending with the first century A.D. Later they were uncovered and traded on the international market, where they eventually found their way into the hands of a Charlotte lawyer who lent them anonymously to the Mint. . . . Lacovara, who helped organize the exhibition and wrote an essay for the accompanying brochure, said in a recent telephone interview that he has known the collector for several years. He said that the collection was assembled over the past eight years by a discerning eye and consists of beautiful, high-quality examples of Egyptian art". See the article for more.

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