Official Web site: Museo Egizio di Torino

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The Egyptian Museum is today the second most important in the world after the one in Cairo. In 2013, the British newspaper The Times included it in the ranking of the 50 best museums in the world. Currently, it attracts just under a million visitors each year, making it one of the most visited in Italy.

The first object that started the collection was the Mensa Isiaca, an elaborate bronze tablet, purchased around 1626 by Carlo Emanuele I. The tablet appears to be dated to the 1st century AD and was probably not created in Egypt, but rather in Rome, perhaps as a decorative piece for the cult of Isis. It seems to have been purchased by Cardinal Bembo from a craftsman and saved from the sack of Rome in 1527. In 1592, it passed to the Duke of Mantua, and was subsequently given to the Savoy.

The great success it had among Turin scholars forced the ruling house to organize an expedition to better discover its history. The task was entrusted to Vitalino Donati, who between 1759 and 1762 went to Egypt and returned with various artifacts, including the large statues of Ramses II, the goddess Sekhmet, and the goddess Isis.

The headquarters of the Egyptian Museum

However, a true interest in Egyptian antiquities only developed at the beginning of the 19th century following the Napoleonic campaigns in that country. A fundamental role in this was played by the Piedmontese Bernardino Drovetti.

Born in Piedmont, he was the French general consul during the occupation of Egypt, collecting thousands of pieces. After the fall of the Napoleonic empire, in 1816 he offered his private collection to France, which, however, refused. Bernardino then made the same proposal to King Carlo Felice, who in 1824 purchased it for a value of 400,000 lire.

From that moment on, the Egyptian Museum was housed in the palace called Collegio dei Nobili, built in 1679 by Michelangelo Garove based on a design by Guarino Guarini. However, the museum only opened to the public in 1832.

It is precisely in these years that the legend of Pa Rahotep on the foundations of Turin began to become popular. This, in truth, is nothing more than a clever advertising campaign of the time aimed at demonstrating the close link between the city and ancient Egypt.

The contribution of Emilio Schiapparelli

The decisive leap in quality of the Museum only occurred at the beginning of the 1900s thanks to Emilio Schiapparelli. Born in 1856, he studied in Turin and then was a pupil of the great French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero. In 1880, he was put in charge of the Egyptian section of the Archaeological Museum of Florence, and then in 1894, he arrived at the Egyptian Museum of Turin.

Starting from 1903, he was tasked with conducting various excavation campaigns in Egypt. Among the many artifacts he found, the most important discovery is undoubtedly that of the grand tomb (unfortunately already plundered) of Queen Nefertari, the wife of Ramses II.

Even more sensational is the discovery made in 1906 near Luxor. Schiapparelli found an intact tomb. It is the tomb of Kha, the architect of Pharaoh Amenhotep.

The excavations, which continued until 1937 with the help of Giulio Farina, brought to Turin over 30,000 artifacts. The new findings imposed a reorganization of the exhibition halls, which occurred for the first time in 1908 and subsequently in 1924, complete with an official visit from the king.

Precious pieces of the collection 

Since then, the Museum is the most important in the world after the one in Cairo. It indeed houses unique artifacts of particular historical importance.

Among the many, we allow ourselves to mention a few. The list is certainly not complete, but it gives an idea of what can be admired at the Museum.

• The Book of the Dead of Iuenfankh, written on Cyperus papyrus. The manuscript, dated between 332 and 30 BC, was discovered in the Theban region and acquired by the Drovetti Collection in 1824. This book was a spiritual guide, with spells and formulas, adopted to accompany the deceased on their journey. It contains descriptions of mummification practices and rituals to protect the soul of the deceased and ensure eternal life.
• Statue of a female deity (Hathor or Isis), known as the Isis of Copto. A work of art carved in stone dated between 1539 and 1292 BC. The origin of the sculpture is connected to Copto, an ancient city of Egypt, and is considered the essence of the female divinity.

• Pleated tunic. An article of clothing found in Assiut by Ernesto Schiapparelli dating back to the period between 2435 and 2118 BC. Made of linen, it features pleats that may have served a practical purpose for both movement and body temperature regulation.
• The Ostrakon of the Dancer. A stone work dating back to the period between 1292 and 1076 BC, it depicts the performances of a sinuous and flexible dancer. The fragment was found in the archaeological site of Deir el-Medina, known for being the residence of the workers of the tombs of the Valley of the Kings. 
• Chapel of Maia. Discovered in the necropolis of Deir el-Medina in 1906 by the archaeological mission of Ernesto Schiaparelli. The perfect preservation of the paintings allowed the restorer Fabrizio Lucarini to transport them to Italy in 1906. Dated between 1353 and 1292 BC, it is a precious relic of the 18th dynasty.

• Merit’s Wig. Made with human hair, the wig has curly hair in curls ending with braids. Found in the tomb of Kha at Deir el-Medina, the wig has been dated between 1425 and 1353 BC. It was later acquired by Ernesto Schiaparelli.
• Statue of Ramesses II. The work is one of the most known icons of the Egyptian Museum. The French archaeologist Jean-François Champollion defined the sculpture as ‘the Apollo of the Belvedere of Egyptian art.’ The statue, carved in stone, was found in Thebes, in the temple of Amun at Karnak. In 1824, the statue became part of the Drovetti Collection.
• Statue of Seti II. Characterized by the left leg positioned forward to symbolize his power to move, act, and make decisions, it represents the sovereign’s potency. Dated around 1202-1198 BC, it was erected by the will of Seti II himself at the entrance of a chapel in the temple of Karnak.

• The Sphinx of the temple of Amon. The sphinx had the body of a lion (associated with the Sun) and a human face (associated with rationality). Usually placed as guardians at the entrance of temples. This one, of exquisite workmanship, is dated 1292-1250 BC.
• Temple of Ellesiya. Commissioned by Thutmose III in 1454 BC. Acquired as a gift to the Egyptian government in 1966, it was transported and reconstructed at the Egyptian Museum of Turin in the wing dedicated to Ernesto Schiaparelli in 1967.
• The predynastic mummy. Dating back to 3500 BC (about 5500 years ago), the mummy is found in a fetal position along with its grave goods. The pit was dug directly in the desert, thus favoring the natural desiccation of the body.
• The Gebelein Cloth. Dating back to around 3600 BC, it is the oldest linen painting ever found in the world.