Czére Andrea szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei (Budapest, 2008)
ANNUAL REPORT • A 2008. ÉV - ZOLTÁN HORVÁTH: Egyptian Renaissance. Archaism and the Sense of History in Ancient Egypt
niscent of the D joser statue (Third Dynasty) found in the serdab (chamber for the Ka statue of the deceased) in the pharaoh's Step Pyramid. The austere and rigid arrangement of the artefacts dating from the periods preceding and succeeding the Twenty-fifth-Twenty-sixth dynasties was counteracted by the more airy layout of the section presenting the diverse art of the Egyptian renaissance where visitors were able to examine the displayed objects freely and from various viewpoints while spotlights enhanced the unique effect created by each exhibit, suggesting that links must be seen primarily between ancient models and their Late Period counterparts rather than between contemporary works of art. The block statue of Harwa, a nobleman who lived at the time of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty is thus not an analogy of a similar type sculpture depicting Akhimenru, who succeeded him in his office, but much more that of the block statue of Ptahanhk carved at the time of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Similarly, the delicate details of the Saite bust originating from Abydos (Museum of Fine Arts) only becomes truly noticeable if placed next to the fragment of a statue dating from the Middle Kingdom borrowed from the collection in Vienna. A Hungarian and an English-language catalogue including studies exploring the theme as well as short historical overviews and explanations of essential concepts placed next to the showcases all help visitors to gain a better understanding of the messages of the exhibition. An aestheticising exhibition direction and the accurate communication of values were equally considered and applied in the organisation of the show r . The monumental partition wall imitating the arched roof of archaic shrines and dividing the darkened Doric Flail was the work of Zsolt Vasáros and the Narmer Architecture Studio, as was the wall with its panelled façade where the votive statuettes from the Late Period and the model sepulchral vault of Tjesraperet were displayed. As part of the Accessible Art programme, a tactile exhibition was organised, which was primarily aimed at helping the blind and the partially sighted but enjoyed popularity among the general public, as we learnt from visitor feedback. The tactile exhibition owed its success mainly to the excellent work of Zoltán Bartos and Anna Kormányos. Zoltán Hoí*váth NOTES 1 Plato, X, Laws, Books 1-6. Translated by R. G. Bury. The Loeb Classical Library. London 1961, 657c. 2 J. Assmann, The Mind of Egypt: History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharaohs. Translated by A. Jenkins. New York 2002, 340-341.
