How to See the British Museum in Four VisitsJerrold, Blanchard
History
How to See the British Museum in Four Visits
Jerrold, Blanchard
British Museum
Perhaps, no portion of this interesting Egyptian room so forcibly
impresses the spectator with the truth and reality of its revelations,
as these rude toys, that must have been handled by prattling Egyptian
children, when all was dark throughout Europe, save on the shore of
the southern sea, where glimmered fitful lights of awakening
civilisation, and Homer was enshrining the poor knowledge of his
period in the splendid fancies of his poet soul. Not vastly different
from the rude dolls of the present century must these of Egypt have
been when fresh from the workman's hand. They are in a very disabled
state now, however; one being a rude representation of an Egyptian
Miss Biffen, altogether guiltless of legs; and others, the flat
variety, having hair made of clay beads. In the case with these relics
are porcelain models of eggs, balls, fruit; wooden fish; leather and
palm-leaf balls, stuffed; dice, and various draughtsmen, with the
heads of cats; and one with the figure of a jackal. The last two
divisions of the case under notice are entirely filled with a variety
of specimens of
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN FABRICS.
This division is always interesting to visitors who have any knowledge
of the essential excellences of textile fabrics. There can be no doubt
of the high repute in which the linens of ancient Egypt were held of
old; but the samples which have remained in a state of preservation up
to the present day, being mostly bandages of the coarse cloths from
mummies, it is hardly possible to estimate fairly the excellence of
the fabrics with which, the great men of ancient Egypt adorned their
persons and those of their wives. However, one or two samples of
linen, as fine as the celebrated muslins of India, remain, and the
visitor should notice particularly those clothes in the case with fine
blue selvage. In the case also are part of the bandages of an Egyptian
mummy of the Greek period, and a sample of ancient Egyptian linen
bleached by the modern process. With these specimens are skeins of
thread, spindles, and knitting-needles; bronze sewing needles; and a
hackle for flax-dressing. With this case the visitor closes his
examination of the wall cases of the Egyptian room. On taking a
general survey of the room, the objects that will first attract his
attention are the casts of the remarkable sculptures from the entrance
to the temple at Beit-onally near Kalabshe, placed over the wall-cases
against the eastern and western walls. These are faithful
representations of the painted sculpture for which the ancient
Egyptians were famous, about thirteen centuries before our era. The
specimens in the room represent the triumphs of the second Rameses.
The cast against the eastern wall is in two distinct compartments. In
the first, Rameses, accompanied by his sons, is driving his vanquished
Ethiopian enemies into a wood: in the second part the conqueror is
investing the vanquished Ethiopian prince with a gold chain, and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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