Couple. Standing woman and seated man
Egypt. Limestone. H. 14.5 cm.
1783 BCE to 1640 BCE
Purchase: Eugène Allemant, 1879
MAS collection, AV.1879.001.287
Egypt, from the Pharaohs to the General
On display until 14 January 2024 at the Wellington Museum
Cultural objects from Egyptian antiquity from the MAS collection are highly coveted loans. Now, a small selection of objects travels to the Wellington Museum in the centre of Waterloo. The museum is housed in an eighteenth-century inn. The English Duke Arthur Wellington, commander of the Allied army, set up his headquarters there during the battle against Napoleon Bonaparte and the French army. In the permanent museum halls, you dive into the history of the battle lost by Napoleon in 1815.
Using historical documents, weapons and Egyptian antiquities, the temporary exhibition shows what influence the land of the Pharaohs had for centuries on the European public, and in particular on Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 -1821). In 1798, he undertook a military conquest of Egypt to break the English links to the Indies and Asia.
From a military point of view, Napoleon's expedition was a hopeless failure. From a scientific and cultural point of view, however, it was a more worthwhile venture. Numerous scientists and artists travelled in the wake of his army. They made truthful sketches of the pyramids and mapped archaeological sites, which they later published in the famous Description de L'Egypte. At the same time, numerous Egyptian antiquities and riches were also shipped to Europe. The exhibition features several engravings and documents from Napoleon's Egyptian expedition.
The MAS lent ten objects for this expo:
- Bronze votive statues of Bes (AV.1879.001.010), Thot (AV.1879.001.019), Anubis (AV.1879.001.113), Sekhmet (AV.1879.001.126) and Isis (AV.1879.001.030).
- Amulets (AV.1879.001.244, AV.1879.001.227, AV.4764.1-6)
- Pottery jar (AV.6494)
- A limestone statue of a married couple (AV.1879.001.287)
These objects are among the Egyptian antiquities that the city of Antwerp bought from Eugène Allemant in 1879. He was a French trader and interpreter in Egypt in the late 19th century.
Read more on https://www.museewellington.be/?lang=en
Chaussée de Bruxelles 147, B – 1410 Waterloo
The exhibition catalogue is published under the direction of Sarah El Marini, Musée Wellington, 2023, pp. 68 with colour illustrations