Fashionable couple from 1,200 BC to go on show in city
Sethmose and his wife Isisnofret depectied in artwork ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ARTWORK WAS BOUGHT FOR £150,000 AFTER THOMAS COOK TRAVEL WENT BUST
A NEWLY-ACQUIRED ancient Egyptian artwork awaits visitors to New Walk Museum, Leicester, when it is allowed to reopen
The statue, sculpted 3,000 years ago, has been acquired by the city of Leicester at a cost of £150,000.
The black granite artefact depicting the seated figures of Sethmose and his wife Isisnofret was a gift to John Cook, son of travel pioneer Thomas Cook, in the late 19th century.
It will take pride of place in the museum’s Ancient Egypt gallery when museums reopen later this year.
Dating from the end of the 19th dynasty, about 1,200 BC, the sculpture was put up for sale by administrators after the collapse of the Thomas Cook travel business last year.
A city council spokesman said: “The 2ft-high statue shows both figures wearing fashionable dress of the period, with the female figure wearing a close-fitting, ankle-length garment and a tripartite wig – which divides the hair into three sections, with two sections draped over the shoulders at the front and the third arranged over the back.
“The male figure, Sethmose – whose titles included High Priest of Anhur and Sobek and Chief of the Harem of Sobek – also wears a wig and is dressed in a pleated kilt.
“Inscriptions include references to the Pharaoh Seti I – the second ruler of the 19th dynasty – and the god Horus, typically represented as a falcon-headed crocodile.
“As hard stone like granite was difficult to procure in ancient Egypt, the statue was probably made with royal permission and designed to be on display in a public place or temple.”
Deputy city mayor,
Councillor
Piara Singh Clair, said visitors to the museum, which has been closed during the coronavirus outbreak, have a treat in store for them when the Leicester lockdown is lifted and the attraction reopens later this year.
He said: “The inscriptions on the back and sides of this statue suggest that it was made to be viewed from all angles, which supports the theory that it would originally have been on display in a public space.
“Now, some 3,000 years after it was made, I’m delighted that the statue will be back on public display and inspiring visitors to Leicester’s flagship museum.”
The city managed to raise £150,000 to secure the statue for the city’s collection, thanks to “generous contributions” from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and Art Fund.
Support also came from the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums; Leicester Archaeological and Historical Society; Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society and the City of Leicester Museums Trust.
The council spokesmann said: “The statue will be an important new addition to Leicester’s award-winning Ancient
Egypt galleries, joining four mummies – Pa-nesit-tawy, Pe-iuy, Bes-en-Mut and Ta-Bes – donated to Leicester by Thomas Cook’s son, John, in 1885.”
Joanna Jones, head of arts, museums, festivals and events at the city council, said: “We are very grateful to everyone involved in bringing this beautiful statue to Leicester.
“It is not only an important addition to Leicester’s fabulous Egyptian collection, but it’s also another link to the Thomas Cook story – and a reminder that, thanks to Thomas Cook, Leicester can rightly call itself the birthplace of tourism.”