Macabre, maybe, but display curator also sees love of life

A large collection of artifacts from Egyptian tombs may strike some as macabre, but to Virginia Brilliant, they signify the Egyptians' love of life.

Brilliant is assistant curator of European Art and organizing curator of "To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum" at the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota. The show's official opening is Saturday, although the galleries in the Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing are now open.

"The thing that I think you really get is the Egyptians really loved life, they loved their life on earth, they had a very joyous life," said Brilliant, who has overseen the installation of more than 100 objects of ancient Egyptian art.

Ancient Egyptian

culture was founded on the belief in an afterlife. Elaborate burial rituals for people of all stations in life were meant to enhance the transition between this life and the next.

The collection includes the mummified remains of Demetrios, a wealthy citizen of Hawara at around 100 A.D.; two mummified dogs; the painted coffin of a mayor of Thebes from around 1075-945 B.C.; and an sculptures, pottery and statues.

It will be on display through Jan. 11, with a wide range of supporting programming, including educational ones for children and adults, and an evening of Egyptian-styled food.

The exhibition is drawn from the collection of the Brooklyn Museum, which has "a totally fabulous collection of Egyptian antiquities," said Brilliant.

The artifacts were originally collected by Charles Edwin Wilbour, an amateur Egyptologist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries whose passion reflected that of many Europeans who were fascinated by Egypt and who amassed large personal collections of artifacts. By contrast, most of the Egyptian artifacts that have toured museums since the original King Tut exhibit from 1976 to 1979 have been excavated since 1970.

The Brooklyn Museum show, which was originally curated by Edward Bleiberg, is touring to 10 museums across the country. The Ringling is the collection's second stop.

"I think the individual objects are so interesting and so beautiful," said Brilliant, who consulted with Bleiberg before the artifacts arrived at the Ringling.

"But it's also the story that they construct that is really useful. The show is really about the Egyptian belief in the afterlife and all the strategies that they used to prepare for the afterlife."

One gallery at the Ringling has been set up as if it were the interior of an Egyptian tomb, tightly packed with artifacts.

"What's wonderful is it forces you to look really closely at the objects," said Brilliant.