12 July 2015

Neues Museum - some ancient objects

Just as New College, Oxford, is one of the oldest colleges there, the Neues Museum dates back a fair ways. And it houses some of the oldest things - Egyptian art and Schliemann's discoveries in the search for ancient Troy.

We had an hour and a half to see "everything" - of course we didn't get to all the rooms; some things along the way caught our attention and called for label reading and discussion. I do hope we can go back sometime and look more carefully - the objects are wonderful. 

I filled another eight pages of my sketchbook, but very sketchily - the drawing was a means of looking intently, in the time available. As with this jar -
"Inscribed jar for 73 bags of sundried figs for a person named Huy.
18th dynasty, c.1340BC"
Had I not been drawing, and then checking the label, I wouldn't have seen the scratchy writing - small and faint behind glass.

Caught in passing - but what is it?
(Silly to take a photo, yet not bother to find out!)

Guestbook of Egyptologist Richard Lepsius, 1844

False door, 18th dynasty - about a metre high

5th dynasty, 2430BC (lovely animals; click on photo to enlarge)

Amphora with burned bone, late 1st-early2nd century, Trier,
and two face urns

Quickly captured
"Nordic antiquities" - house urn, 7th century BC;
135 house urns are known today

The ring vessels were used for ritual libations honouring gods or famous heroes

Some Trojan gold - dazzling

Men with conical hats, Cyprus, 6th century BC
The museum also has the famous bust of Nefertiti - photos not allowed!

1 comment:

Heather James said...

I love your quick sketches and agree that you do see more intently when you are drawing something.