PHARAOH at the NGV

PHARAOH, exclusive blockbuster exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria celebrates 3,000 years of Egyptian art and culture. The British Museum has loaned 500 works including sculpture, coffins, funerary objects and an outstanding display of exquisite ancient Egyptian jewellery. It was the latter that took our breath away.

Most jewellery in ancient Egypt conveyed meaning and power especially of the king. Plant and floral motifs as well as animals were widely used often in combinations with symbolic meaning.

The girdle on the left shows a pendant of a lotus flower and kneeling man representing the God of Infinity holding palm ribs. The necklace on the right with lizard amulets symbolises regeneration perhaps because the lizard regrows its tail if lost?!

From very early times (2500 BCE) to the Roman Period (from 30 BCE), a wide variety of materials were used. Glazed ceramics, precious stones and delicately modelled gold all required new techniques to be developed and trading partners to be sort.

The ancient Egyptian artisans acquired techniques and tools to work gold and silver, fashioning in various ways, moulding, beating, piercing and bending. Ancient Egyptian artisans used their expertise to produce exquisite pieces that we could lust after to wear today.

This coffin base belonged to a temple doorkeeper Ahmose about 900 BCE. It is decorated with refined work. Images from the NGV Magazine.

The exhibition showcases monumental sculpture, funerary objects and statues evoking the power and authority of the ancient dynasties. It’s an exhibition of discovery providing an array of visual angles revealing the treasures, too many to write about and too good to miss.

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