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Egypten 11.4 :: Forgeries

Object description

Forgeries

The demand for exotic objects from Egypt was great during the whole nineteenth century. It was partly met by newly made forgeries that gullible tourists – but even museums – bought.

One such example is this fake infant mummy (1). The mask and the shroud are authentic, but x-rays have shown that it contains the lower leg of an adult male. The botanical material that accompanied the “mummy” suggests it was produced somewhere in the Baltic Sea region. How it came

to Sweden and ended up in the collection of the National Museum is unclear. In 1928 it was deposited at the Egyptian museum.

What was bought as a “mummified animal in a pot” (2) has also been found to be a forgery. Animal mummies were buried in pots in long underground galleries.

This pot however has turned out to contain a modern paper roll, wrapped in linen.

Data elements
References (4)

Exhibition, showcase - Current (3)
Exhibition, Showcase - Depicted (1)

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Egypten 11.4 :: Forgeries

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Keyword, Swedish

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