My Trip to Boston (Part 2)

The Egyptian collection of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is world class. Some of the greatest works of art from Ancient Egypt can be found there. The most famous of these are probably the statues found by the MFA in the Funerary temple of Menkara (Dynasty Four). The copies of the funerary equipment of Hetepheres (the mother of Khufu, who built the Great Pyramid in the Fourth Dynasty) were made after George Reisner found her tomb while doing excavations for the MFA are wonderful to see (go to Cairo to see the originals). The MFA also has one of the best collections in the world of Dynasty Four “reserve heads”. These odd objects puzzle me a bit every time I see them.

Some of the collection is not on exhibit right now (some re-installation work seems to be going on). The Middle Kingdom painted coffins of Djehuty-Nakht and the Early Dynastic art are among the pieces that are not currently on display.

While the Near Eastern art collection of the MFA is arguably not worth a special trip to see them, the Egyptian collection most certainly is. It is one of the finest collections of Egyptian art in the world. If you are in Boston, do not miss it.