Jewels of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Treasures from the Worcester Art Museum
Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury Street, Worcester, Massachusetts
In 1926, the wealthy, well-established Massachusetts couple Laura Norcross Marrs and her husband Kingsmill Marrs donated more than 300 exquisite pieces of ancient Egyptian jewelry to the Worcester Art Museum — where the collection has remained unseen by the public.
Now, opening 100 years after Howard Carter’s momentous discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, the exhibition follows the story of the Marrses’ close and collaborative friendship with Carter, and puts this expansive collection on view for the very first time.
The Marrses began corresponding with the young archaeologist who was already in Egypt in the early 1920s. Over several years, including visits to Carter’s excavation sites, the Marrses acquired hundreds of objects–from delicate faience beads to finely detailed gold rings, to scarabs of different sizes and in different settings–along with many of Carter’s watercolors of these works and his excavation sites.
The exhibition opens at the Worcester Art Museum on June 8, 2022, and remains on view through January 29, 2023
The full press release can be downloaded