#objects in focus

The time has come once again, the leaves start changing colour, the air gets cooler and the eerie costumes start to appear. Halloween is popular for sugar and spooks but if you investigate the history, it is an age-old holiday of celebration and remembrance.

As October nears its end, you’ll often find familiar imagery of ghosts and skeletons lining walls and windows. These motifs link to the holiday’s origins. They were important symbols in the Ancient Celtic festival Samhain (pronounced ‘sow-in’) which marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter. This was essentially a ‘festival of the dead’.  

It was believed that every year on the 31st October, the barrier between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead was at its weakest, and the dead were able to walk among the living as ghosts. The Celts believed that the presence of spirits helped druids and priests when they made predictions about the future. Divination was a large part of ancient culture and they were a source of comfort and direction at this dark time of year.

When I started to explore the collections, I found many objects which depicted symbols pertaining to Halloween. From spooky ghouls to black cats, there was an abundance of objects to choose from. However, I was intrigued by a recent and surprising skeletal discovery!

Recently Kunstsammlung Nordrhein Westfalen in Düsseldorf, Germany asked Research and Cultural Collections whether they could borrow two artworks for their upcoming exhibition, ‘museum Global. Microhistories of an Ex-centric Modernism’. As part of this process, the works were sent to conservator Annabelle Monaghan. Whilst she worked on ‘Fantasy and Masks’ by Uche Okeke, she unearthed a surprising image on the reverse of the canvas…

Uche Okeke (1933-2016)

Fantasy and Masks (reverse), c. 1960, oil on canvas, Research and Cultural Collections

Here Okeke has depicted skulls and bones submerged into darkness. This rather traditional Halloween and harvest imagery evokes thoughts on human mortality and death. Whether the piece was created to represent the darkness of the end of harvest, death or something else is unclear; more research will be required to unearth the artist’s intent. Despite Okeke’s motives being unknown we can assume that the use of black was due to its synonymous link with death, which is in part due to how black absorbs light and the fact that it is the absence of colour and as such, the absence of existence.

Many high-quality examples from the Collection demonstrate the ancient craftsman’s skill. However, a small portion of faience bowls such as this one illustrate what could go wrong during production. Dated to the Roman Period (c. 30 BC – 395 AD), this bowl would have been fired in a kiln at high temperatures to create a ‘gleaming’ surface. Several production errors include the breaks around the bowl’s rim, the remains of supports used during firing which are stuck to the bowl’s base, and a distinctive pool of overfired glaze inside the bowl. It seems that during firing not only were items placed too closely together, but this bowl fell and was thus fired at an uneven angle.

Despite these mistakes and the likelihood that it was never used in antiquity, collector Major William Joseph Myers decided to keep this bowl, and it has remained in the Eton Myers Collection of Egyptology ever since.

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Many days of the Egyptian calendar were devoted to religious celebrations and festivals, which were large social occasions to appreciate and appease the gods. Many of these festivals involved formal public processions of statues depicting the cult god. While these images were normally placed within the secluded sanctuary of the temples, they could be carried out to the populace via portable shrines; a large-scale Ptolemaic shrine, over 2.5 metres tall, is currently on display at the British Museum. Within the Eton Myers Collection, we have a miniature version of a shrine in the form of an amulet (just over 3cm tall!). While both shrines are decorated, our own amulet features closed doors and a pierced hole through the top to allow it to be worn; perhaps this was an appropriate item to wear during festivals where one might actually get a glimpse of the god!

Egyptian

Shrine Amulet,  faience, Eton Myers Collection of Egyptology

New Year

The season of Peret was also known as ‘emergence’, referring to the growth of crops that followed from the Nile inundation. While the ancient Egyptians did have an annual celebration to mark the ‘Opening of the Year’, unlike our annual celebration that always takes place on 31st December into the early hours of 1st January the ancient Egyptian celebration actually took place in late July. This was, as many other festivals were, tied to the changes within the calendrical year connected to the inundation of the Nile, and therefore the date it was celebrated could change. In a similar fashion to modern celebrations of the New Year across the globe, the ‘Opening of the Year’ was a large-scale social event that involved feasting, drinking, singing and dancing. Some of the vessels and jars held within the Eton Myers Collection are a handy portable size, and perhaps they could have held a ‘tipple’ of beer to bring in the New Year!

Eighteenth Dynasty, Egyptian

Ceramic Juglet, ceramic, Eton Myers Collection of Egyptology

Eighteenth Dynasty, Egyptian

Ceramic flask, ceramic, Eton Myers Collection of Egyptology

Both modern and ancient celebrations in the festive season also wouldn’t be complete without musical accompaniment; percussion instruments such as sistrums were often used alongside vocal performances in Egyptian festivals and religious activities. However, this particular sistrum from the collection is silent. When shaken a typical sistrum would make a rattling sound –this certainly could have been used to perform special songs to bring in the New Year!

Egyptian

Sistrum, faience, Eton Myers Collection of Egyptology

We wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Commissioned by Sir Aston Webb, architect of the original University buildings, Brangwyn designed a memorial for ex-soldiers consisting of three panels. The central panel features a religious scene. A figure is raised from the dead and celestial light rains down. This may represent rebirth - a popular motif at the time, following the atrocities of the Great War. The side panels represent industrial scenes of Birmingham, filled with chimneys and smoke. Brangwyn was known for his representations of and interest in industry. Brangwyn may also have been inspired by friezes on the Aston Webb building by Robert Anning-Bell. Brangwyn’s project did not come to fruition; instead the University decided upon the Rolls of Honour that are carved in the entrance foyer.  This is the only known study for the original idea.

Robert Anning-Bell (1863-1933)

Anning-Bell Friezes, 1905-1909, ceramic, Research and Cultural Collections

Despite not being an official war artist, Brangwyn created over 80 posters which are now synonymous with First World War propaganda. He also created many large-scale murals in North America, such as South Corridor at the Rockefeller Centre, New York. 

In ancient Egypt, childbirth and early infancy were considered a dangerous time for both mother and baby, who were vulnerable to accidents, illnesses and ailments; therefore, protective amulets were often worn in daily life and given to mothers and new-born babies. Certain gods were particularly important during this difficult time, and they were believed to frighten off any evil forces that could harm the mother and child. An example was the goddess Tawaret, who was often depicted with the body of a hippopotamus, the tail of a crocodile, and the paws of a lion. She was often worn as an amulet by expectant mothers but was also a very popular deity worshiped in domestic contexts, and widely associated with fertility. Hippos were perceived as very dangerous animals in ancient Egypt, and they could be particularly aggressive towards humans when defending their young; thus, the connection of Tawaret with the hippopotamus form is clear. In addition, the large rounded belly of Tawaret physically resembles a pregnant woman.

Tawaret’s male counterpart, the god Bes, was also associated with protection. Bes was often depicted as a dwarf with bandy legs, a large beard or lion’s mane, a plumed headdress, and tail. Often he is shown carrying a musical instrument or weapon; this was how he would protect the living and avert malignant forces. The unusual appearance of both deities contributes to their desire to scare away any potential wrong-doers, and keep both mother and baby safe. We have numerous depictions of Bes from the collection, which you can find here.

Unknown date

Tawaret Amulet, Faience, Research and Cultural Collections 

Birthdays were very important to the ancient Egyptians, as was providing a name for the new-born baby – in ancient Egypt, your name was understood to be a major component of the self that was required to survive in order to successfully make it into the afterlife. The name is also connected with existence; often there is a ‘true’ name which was kept secret or hidden, for fear that names inscribed on monuments could be erased and thus the person would cease to exist in the afterlife. Many names could also emphasise that the person was under the protection of particular gods, which perhaps further increased their chances of surviving birth and infancy. Birthdays were also very important in relation to the king and the gods; the ancient Egyptians believed that their king, who was of divine descent, was reborn and thus their years began with the reign of a new king.

The Egyptians also had numerous festivals which celebrated the birth of their gods – one such example was the Hathor festival, celebrated in her cult temple at Dendera. Hathor was connected with childbirth and women in particular, this festival celebrated Hathor’s birth and the many blessings she could bestow on her worshippers. Much like modern birthday celebrations today, there was singing, dancing, and alcohol involved in this festival!

Dendera Temple

The collection is named after Major William Joseph Myers (1858-1899), an Etonian ‘Old Boy’ who served time in Egypt during his military service from 1882, and became an avid collector of Egyptian objects. After his death in South Africa fighting with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps in 1899, the collection was bequeathed to Eton College and used as a teaching resource. It also became the subject of several international exhibitions.

In 2011, a 15-year project started between the University of Birmingham, Eton College, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. This project was designed to catalogue, research and digitise the objects and make this collection of fascinating objects more accessible to students, staff, and the publics. Here in Birmingham, we have over 540 objects from the wider collection – this is available to visit, and our progress with cataloguing and digitising can be viewed through the online catalogue.  

At Birmingham we have held several exhibitions since the objects were loaned to us in 2011. More detail about previous exhibitions can be found online, and are accessible through the Birmingham Egyptology website.

The Eton Myers exhibition and store: please come and visit us!

The collection includes a variety of artefacts dating from the Palaeolithic period, throughout Dynastic Egypt and into the Roman occupation of Egypt; we have over 100 stone tools, 100 amulets, and a wide range of pottery and figurines. The Eton Myers Collection is also known as one of the most renowned private collections of Egyptian faience.

Faience is a term used to describe a ceramic material that was coloured with a very bright and characteristically turquoise glaze; this colour was symbolic, as it was associated with fertility, rebirth, life, and the sun. Therefore many objects from small scarabs and jewellery to large bowls and chalices were often covered in this popular and shiny coating. One beautiful example held here at Birmingham includes the Nut amulet (ECM 1478), which was originally placed upon a mummy along with other protective amulets fastened to a faience bead-net over layers of mummy wrappings. The goddess stretches her wings over the body, protecting the deceased. Myers describes in his diary how much he wanted to acquire this object – we can understand why!

Egyptian, c.1295-c.800 BCE

Nut Mummy Amulet, Research and Cultural Collections

Many more beautiful and fascinating objects are held here at Birmingham, and are in the process of being catalogued and researched. We offer tours for individuals, groups and schools, and utilise the collection for teaching within the University of Birmingham.

This clock is the central feature in the exhibition of the University’s Collection of Historic Physics Instruments.  The collection is largely made up of items acquired for teaching or research over the 137-year history of the Birmingham Physics Department.  When the Department was moved from Edmund Street to its present building in Edgbaston in 1908 Professor Poynting set about purchasing the best instruments available to equip his new laboratory.  For the measurement of time he chose this clock manufactured by Siegmund Riefler in Munich.  It is a pendulum clock with many special features making it one of the most accurate in the World at that time.  It cost a mere £78!  It is what is called a ‘regulator’, and such clocks can be recognised by having a large central minute hand and smaller dials for hours and seconds.  It should keep time to about one second per month (similar to a good quartz wristwatch these days). However, as there were then no radio time signals its time keeping had to be set by the stars.  There was a telescope for this purpose mounted at a window in the top of the building.  This too is part of the Collection.

Sigmund Riefler

Riefler Master Clock, 1908, Research and Cultural Collections

In 1977 the clock was restored and put on display in the entrance to the Physics West Building.  Then in 1997 it was moved to a new museum area on the second floor of the Poynting Physics building, and shortly after it became the responsibility of the University’s Research and Cultural Collections.  In recent years the time keeping had become erratic due to wear on some of the bearings.  We were able to send it for conservation to The Clockworks in London who are experts in these rare clocks.  We are now celebrating having it back in the exhibition.  It is running well and being adjusted to keep ‘perfect’ time by adding small weights to a platform on the pendulum.  We no longer keep up the tradition of setting it by the stars - radio time signals are easier!

The movement being replaced by Jan Wright of The Clockworks

Fine adjustments being made by Johan ten Hoeve of The Clockworks