The sphinx: guardian of Egypt
-
This exhibition is a world first. Never before has a whole exhibition been devoted to this classical theme from classical Egypt. The exhibition recounts the origins of this hybrid, its evolution during the various Egyptian dynasties, and explains the variations on the sphinx theme, such as the lion-headed or falcon-headed sphinx, the offerer sphinx, the ram-headed sphinx and the mysterious sphinges.
The Louvre, British Museum, Cambridge Fitzwilliam Museum, the Brooklyn and
Metropolitan Museum in New York, museums in Turin, Leyde, Berlin and
Leipzig, the Brussels Royal Art and History Museums have all collaborated
strongly in this project, by lending their best pieces on this highly
diverse theme.
The exhibition brings together more than 200 works, traces the evolution in
the sphinx's representation and reveals the role held by the sphinx in
Ancient Egypt: sculptures in the round, steles, amulets, jewellery, ceramics and so
on.
