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Egyptian art in Rome, where you don’t expect it… Rome is full of Egyptian art. The city has obelisks all over the city. But there is a place where you wouldn’t expect to find any… the Vatican Museums. Come and take one of our Tours. We’ll show you the less visited wings of the Vatican Museums, the most unexpected one. We’ll take you to see Egyptian art where you don’t expect it…
Egyptian art in the Vatican
Founded on the initiative of Pope Gregory XVI in 1839, the Gregorian Egyptian Museum occupies nine rooms. Some of these, overlook the famous “Niche of the Pinecone”. Taken from the former apartment of Pius IV, the wall decorations, intended to evoke the environs of the Nile.
The Collection
The collection is particularly interesting. It contains materials from Roman Egypt and from Egyptian-influenced Rome. Many of the masterpieces were brought to Rome at the behest of the emperor. These pieces were meant to embellish buildings, shrines and villas. There are also many Egyptian works of Roman production. These offer evidence of an important moment in the history of the Egyptian culture, as in the case of the pieces taken from Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli.
Some of the pieces that are worth the Tour alone are: the Stele of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, the Sarcophagus of Djedmut, the Statue of Osiris Antinous and the famous Lions of Nectanebo….
Statue of Osiris Antinous
Sarcophagus of Djedmut
Stele of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III
Thank one of our Vatican Tours. We’ll take you off the ordinary tours and show you what others do not show you. We’ll show Egypt where you won’t expect it…
