I dedicate August to Isis, the great goddess of Ancient Egypt whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. I started the month by visiting the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) for its winter exhibition, Pharaoh.
The NGV partnered with the British Museum to bring over 500 remarkable objects, from colossal statues and intricate jewellery to sacred temple relics and elaborate coffins. The exhibition delves into the complex roles of the pharaohs, who ruled Egypt for three millennia.
This blog entry showcases some of my better photos from the exhibition
Pharaoh is a remarkable exhibition, with one room after another carefully crafted with angles, mirrors, lighting, and soundscapes that intrigue, surprise, and delight. If I have any complaints, it’s that there wasn’t enough Isis, which is curious for a goddess so closely aligned with the throne. But what Pharaoh lacked in Isis, it made up with in Sekhmet.
The highlight for me was a room edged with ten statues of the Lion Goddess. I saw these statues when I visited the British Museum in 2006 and could not believe I saw them again almost 20 years later on another continent. I spent the most time in this room, offering prayers and thanks to the Eye of the Sun.
