April 2019
context
The Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum is among the world’s most important collections of Egyptian antiquities. The more than 17 000 objects date from a period of almost four thousand years, from the Egyptian Predynastic and Early Dynastic periods (ca. 3500 BC) to the early Christian era.
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Avid interest in collecting Egyptian antiquities did not really begin in Europe until the early 19th century. The few Egyptian antiquities already in Habsburg possession in the 18th century were held in the coin collection and cabinet of antiquities. There was an emancipation of the genre when Napoleon’s spectacular invasion of Egypt (1798-1799) resulted in unparalleled esteem for Egyptian culture.
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The rooms of the Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection in the Kunsthistorisches Museum are magnificently decorated, and this Egyptianesque design was part of the original plan of the architects, Gottfried Semper and Carl von Hasenauer. Unique is the reuse of three original Egyptian monolithic columns more than six metres in height instead of the marble pillars used to support the ceilings of the other halls. The columns, which had been excavated in Alexandria, were a gift to Emperor Francis Joseph I in 1869. Also worthy of note are the murals on paper, which lend the large first hall a special character. They are copies of mural paintings from the tomb of Prince Chnum-hetep at Beni Hassan in Middle Egypt and were made by Ernst Weidenbach for the Vienna International Exhibition of 1873.
Viewing Egyptian artifacts for me can be divided into two periods - those I viewed before visiting the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and those I viewed after.
Before visiting Egypt, the collection at the Metropolitan Museum in New York was amazing to me. I spent many hours there wandering around or sitting in the great atrium that held the Temple of Dendur (which, after visiting Egypt, I called the "Pharoah's Outhouse" - so small and UN-impressive it is). On one visit in the New York years, I was accompanied by my friend Eric Lieber who was getting his PhD from NYU in Egyptology. He could read a lot of the hieroglyphics and he explained many of the artifacts to me (along with astounding fellow visitors). For me, it was the best collection I had ever seen (and almost the only one, excepting that of Schloss Charlottenburg, Berlin [see: Beijing to Athens] - which has now been repatriated to Museum Island).
Then Brian and I visited Egypt which was a total reset on all things Egyptian and what was "grand and amazing". The bar after that was set ridiculously high.
Fast forward many years to the Art History Museum in Vienna [see: Art History Museum], and on a "rainy day wandering" I found myself exploring the art of the Habsburgs. Lots of money and power extending over hundreds of years truly has benefits. The collection was superlative, but more importantly it was contextualized with both original and recreated artwork to make the galleries FEEL more like Egypt than the typical museum "glass case on a white background" - for a moment, I was back in Cairo. Needless to say, the collection was impressive simply because they had years to build it up and the Habsburgs were at the peak of their power when Napoleon created the "Egyptian craze" in Europe. At that time, everyone wanted things Egyptian. For me, the Vienna collection is a must see for anyone who might not make it to Egypt and has any interest in that ancient land.
Seeing a smaller collection of anything that is contextualized is highly preferable to viewing it in some Zen environment of dark rooms with spotlights. Highlighting an object is dramatic - but not every single object can be dramatic. The Smithsonian's Museum of Asian Art has a jewel box collection [see: Museum of Asian Art], but totally lacks context. The feel is more like a friend inviting one to see the private collection of pretty things. No context highlights the object, but diminishes its meaning.
So, tucked under the Italian and Flemish masters upstairs and next to the fantastic sculptures of Greece and Rome, the Egyptian collection at the "Art History Museum" of Vienna provides visitors a short trip to Cairo and Luxor. And, just like the Met in New York, it will whisk viewers away to the Nile Valley for a time.