12Review - British Museum

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12Review

Holy sanctuary at Mecca
This 17th–18th century
painting featured in the
exhibition Hajj: Journey to
the Heart of Islam. Twodimensional
views became
a standard way to depict
the sanctuary on Hajj
certificates.
(65 x 48 cm)
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Contents
Foreword
A year of celebrations
In the museum
Acquisitions
Conservation and research
At the museum
Exhibitions
Events
Beyond the museum
Media and publications
National
International
BM benefactors
BM across the globe
Appendices
Trustees
Exhibitions
Supporters
Community groups
Staff
Volunteers
World loans

Foreword
For the fifth year running, the BM was the
UK’s most popular visitor attraction, with
5.8 million visitors. Accolades included winning
the 2011 Art Fund Prize for A History of the
World – a great honour for the staff, all of
whom contributed to the project, and for the
many UK partners involved. To date there have
been almost 28 million downloads of the radio
programmes worldwide. The BM will use the
£100,000 prize to fund ‘spotlight tours’ around
the UK. Star objects will be loaned to regional
museums to help them attract larger audiences
and draw attention to their own collections
in new ways.
The BM now raises about half of its
income from fundraising and other revenuegenerating
activity, with the balance coming
from the government. It continues to receive
this public funding to enable it to fulfil its
public mission, and growing numbers of
philanthropic supporters allow it to do so
even more effectively.
Exhibitions at the BM drew thousands of
new visitors. Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam
attracted a very different audience to previous
exhibitions. Of its 140,000 visitors, two thirds
were from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME)
audiences. Nearly 32,000 people took part in
education and learning programmes and over
13,000 schoolchildren visited the exhibition.
A hugely diverse audience also attended
community events, including Chinese, Turkish,
Moroccan, Somali, Iraqi and Afghani visitors.
The exhibition was generously supported by
HSBC Amanah.
Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown
Craftsman, supported by AlixPartners, with
Louis Vuitton, was one of the year’s artistic
successes. The artist took a radical approach
to the BM collection, lifting objects out of their
historical or cultural categories, presenting
them in a completely fresh way and creating
new artworks to comment on them. The
exhibition won the 2012 South Bank Sky Arts
Award for visual arts.
We are grateful to BP for renewing its
longstanding partnership with the BM. The
result is a stimulating five-year programme
of special exhibitions. In As You Like It,
Shakespeare called the world ‘this wide and
universal theatre’ – it was how he saw his own
plays on stage at the appropriately named
Globe Theatre, and it is a fitting description
of the BM itself, where the BP Special
Exhibition Shakespeare: Staging the World,
in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare
Company, will be staged this summer. BP is
also supporting the BM’s international work,
including an exhibition tour of Mummy:
The Inside Story to Mumbai.
With over two million objects accessible
online, the BM collection is reaching more
people than ever before. An outstanding gift to
the collection in 2011 was the Vollard Suite by
Picasso, generously donated by Hamish Parker
and presented in a special exhibition in 2012 –
the first time the complete set of 100 prints, by
common consent the most important graphic
suite of the 20th century, has been shown in
a public museum in Britain.
Major developments within the Museum
include the new Citi Money Gallery. Opening
in June 2012, it tells the 4000-year history of
money. The BM’s major building development,
the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre,
received additional support, with a generous
award of £10 million from the Heritage Lottery
Fund in January 2012.
National spotlight tours are one of a
number of BM initiatives to support museums
across the UK. As the sector faces particular
challenges with cuts in local authority funding,
the BM has expanded its joint programmes to
include loans, touring exhibitions, partnership
galleries and working together with regional
museums to increase their visitor numbers, train
staff, share skills and potentially attract new
sources of income. Nearly one million additional
people visited museums around the country
thanks to their partnership activities with the
BM. Touring exhibitions alone, with support
from the Dorset Foundation, saw BM objects
viewed by around half a million people in
the UK outside London, and the BM’s
largest ever tour, Pharaoh: King of Egypt, led
to a 450% increase in visitors to the Dorset
County Museum.
Internationally the BM was invited to advise
on the preservation of cultural heritage in Iraq
and Libya, worked with museums in Africa, and
participated in a variety of international research
projects: from rescue archaeology in Sudan
to collaborations with Denmark and China.
Among the year’s new programmes were the
East Africa Programme, funded by the Getty
Foundation, and a cultural leadership training
scheme in India, launched in 2012 in Delhi, with
further courses of study in London and Mumbai.
In the course of this year we said goodbye
to five Trustees: Val Gooding, Olga Kennard,
Richard Lambert, Edmée Leventis and David
Norgrove, each of whom has made a very
special contribution to the BM. We have
also been joined by new colleagues: John
Micklethwait and Martin Sorrell, from whom
much is expected.
None of what the BM accomplishes would
be possible without the generous support of
government, our sponsors and donors, as well
as the commitment and enthusiasm of the
staff and volunteers. On behalf of all the
Trustees and the public in the UK and
abroad – a heartfelt thanks.
Niall FitzGerald kbe
Chairman of the Trustees
Trustees
Chief Emeka Anyaoku GVCO, CON
Ms Karen Armstrong FRSL
Professor Sir Christopher Bayly FBA, FRSL
Lord Broers of Cambridge FREng, FRS
Sir Ronald Cohen
Mr Francis Finlay
Mr Niall FitzGerald KBE (chairman)
Dame Liz Forgan DBE
Professor Clive Gamble
Ms Val Gooding CBE
(to December 2011)
Mr Antony Gormley OBE, RA
Ms Bonnie Greer OBE
Ms Penny Hughes CBE
Sir George Iacobescu CBE
Dr Olga Kennard OBE, FRS
(to March 2012)
Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws QC, FRSA
Sir Richard Lambert
(to June 2011)
Mrs Edmée Leventis
(to November 2011)
Mr John Micklethwait
(from August 2011)
Mr David Norgrove (to March 2012)
Professor Amartya Sen CH
Sir Martin Sorrell
(from April 2011)
Lord Stern of Brentford Kt, FBA
Baroness Wheatcroft of Blackheath

Olympics ancient and
modern at the BM
To celebrate the Olympics, the Discobolus
(‘Discus-Thrower’) has returned to the BM.
On display in the Great Court after its tour to
Japan, China, South Korea, Turkey, Taiwan,
Spain and Mexico, it is one of a parade of
exhibitions, books and events to mark the
Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond
Jubilee in 2012.

8 The British Museum Review 2011/12 9 Section Heading
An updated Discobolus by contemporary Chinese
sculptor Sui Jianguo, Greek and Roman artefacts
and designs for Olympic medals are among the
BM Olympic displays this summer. Special
activities include an ancient sports day for families,
an Olympic Trail visitors can follow through
the BM and a conference on sport in the
ancient world.

Jubilee at the BM
10 The British Museum Review 2011/12 11 Section Heading
Two major exhibitions this summer mark
the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the World
Shakespeare Festival, part of the London 2012
Cultural Olympiad. Special exhibits include the
Queen’s own racing silks and paintings by
George Stubbs.

12 The British Museum Review 2011/12 13 Section Heading
Cylinder seal,
2700–2600 bc
This seal from ancient
Mesopotamia (shown with
the impression it makes)
was acquired in 2011/12.
Its depicts lions, goats,
bulls, monsters and
heroes in combat.
(Length 3.2 cm)
In the museum

Acquisitions
Cycladic hunter-warrior,
2300–2200 bc
Joining the BM collection
of 25 Cycladic females
was this rare wellpreserved
male figure.
(Height 22 cm)
Two standing Tahitian
women, 1894
A newly acquired print by
Paul Gauguin is dedicated
to the English artist
Robert Bevan.
(30 x 23 cm)
The BM collection of around eight million
objects is the subject of study and science,
display and engagement. Invigorating the
collection each year are many new acquisitions
and gifts, filling in gaps, addressing new topics
and ensuring that a record of mankind’s past
is kept and the future needs of audiences
worldwide are addressed.
The Lives of Europeans
Among the year’s outstanding additions to the
collection was a Cycladic figurine from the 3rd
millennium bc, acquired with major support from
the Art Fund, the Patrons and American Friends
of the BM, and private donations. Such figures
are among the oldest in Europe, and this hunterwarrior
wearing his baldric (shoulder-strap) and
belt is one of only four well-preserved examples
worldwide. Just 22cm high, he is the first male
to enter the BM’s collection of 25 female
Cycladic figurines.
A number of newly acquired objects illuminate
aspects of the history of Europe. A pen and
wash drawing by the Venetian artist Domenico
Tiepolo depicts café life in the early 1800s.
Textiles included an Albanian cradle-cloth and a
man’s coat of 1875 from Hungary, magnificently
embroidered, its sleeves signed by its tailor,
Janos Pardics.
The wider influences on, and by, Europeans
were also documented in new ways. A rare 15thcentury
Byzantine icon bequeathed to the BM
depicts John the Baptist and Saint Demetrios.
Two dishes of white faenza show the dominance of
Italian luxury ceramics in 17th-century Germany.
Abandoning Europe, Paul Gauguin sought
inspiration in the Pacific, where he explored new
styles and subjects, as can be seen in an 1894
watercolour monotype of two Tahitian women.
The works of art by Gauguin and Tiepolo were
both accepted by HM Government in lieu of
inheritance tax.
Meeting Points in South Asia
In 2011, the BM was able to acquire, with the
support of the Art Fund, a rare example of
metalwork from Kashmir, in northwest India.
The censer is in the form of a four-armed flying
male figure bearing a pierced vessel above his
head. Scholars have suggested that this may
be Pushpadanta, the leader of the heavenly
attendants who wait on the gods. He is adorned
with lotuses and other flowers appropriate for a
censer, which conveys sweet-smelling smoke to
the image of the deity. Very few ritual bronze
objects survive from medieval India, so this is an
important acquisition for the BM, as well as being
of outstanding quality.
15 Acquisitions
Man’s wool coat, 1875
A richly embroidered
Hungarian cifraszur, worn
when a young man went
to ask for the hand of his
bride. (Height 116 cm)
Many new acquisitions are about cultural
encounters. A scroll painting by contemporary
artist Gurupada Chitrakar is one of a series
showing famous Scots with links to Bengal, in this
instance Patrick Geddes. Gurupada Chitrakar is
a storyteller in the ancient patua tradition, and he
sings the stories he depicts on the scrolls when he
unrolls them in front of his audience.
Among the year’s outstanding bequests was
a collection of 101 items of Indian silver. The
shapes of these teapots, wine jugs, calling-card
cases and other items are mostly European, and
they were made in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries principally for Europeans living in
India who then brought them back to England.
Most are from Bhuj in the princely state of Kutch.
This fascinating collection includes an unusual
dressing-table set packed in a travelling case and
46 drawings of silver designs.
Ziggy Stardust and the King of Kent
The BM collection records several millennia
of British life. Yorkshire painter David Oxtoby
donated 41 of his portraits of jazz, blues and
rock musicians including David Bowie (in his
glam-rock guise as Ziggy Stardust), Marc Bolan,
Robert Plant and Joe Cocker.
Acquisitions from earlier periods included
over 500 17th-century tokens from Middlesex,
Censer, 9th–10th century
This censer from medieval
Kashmir depicts a male
figure with four arms.
(Height 19 cm)
purchased with support from the BM Friends;
an Anglo-Saxon silver-gilt mount; and several
finds from Roman Britain – two writing tablets
recently excavated at Vindolanda near Hadrian’s
Wall; two tiers of a mysterious bronze stand,
possibly used as an incense or candle-holder; and
a unique British Iron Age coin, purchased with
support from the Art Fund. The gold coin names
(and provides the first evidence for) a king in Kent
called Anarevito, who ruled between Caesar’s
invasions of Britain in 55/54 bc and the Roman
conquest of ad 43.
Seals, Clothes and a Car Bonnet
The BM’s unparalleled collection from the
Middle East charts the development of power
relations, trade and religion over six millennia.
With support from the BM Friends and the
American Friends of the BM, 45 seals collected in
the region by a British officer in the 1920s were
recently acquired for the collection. Carved from
semi-precious stones, they range from the Early
Dynastic period (2600 bc) to the Neo-Babylonian
period (500 bc).
From the Middle East across Africa, from
the Pacific to the Americas, the BM collects
culturally representative artefacts both ancient
and modern. In 2011/12 donations and purchases
included 75 articles of traditional clothing from

16 The British Museum Review 2011/12 17
Yemen; a monumental mixed-media painting
of Kilimanjaro by South African artist Georgia
Papageorge; a metal sculpture from Papua New
Guinea entitled Woman with Children by Tom
Deko; and a print showing three ancestral figures
by Torres Strait Islander Alick Tipoti.
The line of tradition can often be traced
through modern works. In Hood, Canadian artist
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas painted a car bonnet
in Haida style. The result imitates a ‘copper’, a
shield held by chiefs and ritually given during
competitive exchanges of riches – just as we use
cars today to boast of wealth and status.
What to Do on Holiday in Japan
When the Prince of Wales visited Nishihonganji
temple in Kyoto in 1881, he decided to
demonstrate his brush skills. Painting random
dots across a large piece of paper, the future
George V challenged the painter Kubota Beisen
to make a picture. The result of this unlikely
Anglo-Japanese collaboration – which Beisen
transformed into a swarm of fireflies – is now
housed at the BM, its hanging scroll mounted
(it is said) using the same fabric as the mosquito
net in the Emperor Meiji’s bedchamber.
New acquisitions in 2011/12 ranged from
amateur royals to the most accomplished artists
from East Asia. Additions to the collection
included Korean calligraphy, Japanese bamboo
baskets and two exquisite porcelain bowls by
Kawase Shinobu, purchased with the support of
the R and S Cohen Foundation. Contemporary
works included Artificial Rock by the Chinese
artist Zhan Wang. The work pays homage to the
traditional display of craggy rocks in scholars’
gardens and homes, but energetically transforms
it into modern sculpture in polished steel.
BM Given 100 Picasso Prints
‘I’m actually having more pleasure in
knowing that it’s destined for the BM than I
would if I were buying it for myself, and I’m
doubly pleased knowing that you’re as
excited as well!’
When Hamish Parker attended a museum
event in October 2010, the BM had on display a
recently acquired print from Picasso’s celebrated
Vollard Suite. It was one of a series of 100 the artist
produced for the French dealer Ambroise Vollard
in the 1930s. The fund manager learned from
Stephen Coppel that it was the seventh from the
Vollard Suite the BM had acquired in 30 years,
though at that pace, the curator’s dream that
the BM would ever hold all 100 seemed pretty
remote. No UK museum owned an entire set.
Woman with
Children, 2008
Sculpture of recycled
metal by Tom Deko, a
leading artist from
Papua New Guinea.
(Height 105 cm)
Picasso at the BM
This 1933 print showing a
sculptor and model is one
of 100 that comprise the
Vollard Suite, acquired by
the BM in 2011.
(27 x 20 cm)
World Conservation and
Exhibitions Centre
Generous financial
support has ensured the
smooth progress of the
BM’s major new facility,
due to open in 2014.
Anglo-Saxon
gilded mount
This impressive decorative
metalwork of the 5th–6th
century depicts bird and
monster masks.
(Length 50 cm)
Some six months later, Stephen Coppel
came into work and clicked open an email from
Hamish Parker. ‘The BM should have in its
possession a complete set of the Vollard Suite. From
our many conversations together I realise that
this is a sentiment shared by you. I’m happy to
report that I am well on the way to achieving
this goal and, if all goes well, a complete set,
with the highest of provenance, should be in the
department [of Prints and Drawings] by year
end . . . I am making this donation in memory of
my father who passed away last year. Although
it might be going too far to suggest that he was
a fan of Picasso, he certainly was a fan of the
British Museum; especially anything involving
education and enlightenment. To have this set in
such close proximity to the Elgin marbles would
be of particular delight to him.’
Worth nearly a million pounds and presented
by the Hamish Parker Charitable Trust in
memory of Major Horace Parker, the Vollard
Suite can be seen in a special free exhibition
throughout the summer of 2012. Shown alongside
classical sculptures and prints by Rembrandt and
Goya of the type that inspired Picasso, it will be
the first time that a complete set of the Vollard Suite
has been shown in a public museum in Britain.
Conservation and
research
Conservation and research underpin all the
BM’s work, from the primary task of ensuring
the collection remains in the best possible
condition, to support for the BM’s array of
national and international programmes. In
between lies a full compendium of activities
involving scientific investigation, archaeology
and historical research.
World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre
Work on the BM’s new state-of-the-art
laboratories and conservation studios, stores,
loans hub and exhibitions suite has continued.
The site on the BM’s north side celebrated
its ‘bottoming out’ ceremony, and since then
12,000m of piles have been laid and 37,000m 3
of soil excavated – the equivalent to 15 Olympicsized
swimming pools.
The building process has been linked to public
activity. Artist-in-residence Liam O’Connor has
been exploring the WCEC with students from
Camden, who have been recording the site using
photograms, etchings and photography. Further
outreach is planned with schools and colleges to
raise interest in the WCEC among local residents.
The architects are Rogers Stirk Harbour +
Partners, and the BM has appointed Building
Design Partnership for the interior and technical

18 The British Museum Review 2011/12 19 Conservation and research
BM and National Gallery
Experts from both
institutions worked jointly
to conserve four striking
portraits from Ancient
Egypt. (Max. 45 x 21 cm)
spaces. The WCEC is due to open in 2014 with
a special exhibition on the Vikings. Funding for
the building in 2011/12 included the award of
£10 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Experiments on the Move
Preparations for the BM’s new World
Conservation and Exhibitions Centre (WCEC)
include a major programme of collection
relocations. The logistics of moving large parts
of the collection into the new building requires
attention to almost every aspect of conservation
care, due in large part to the diversity and
varying fragility of the materials. Hazards
are being studied that range from the effects
of vibration to the volatility of materials now
deemed dangerous, both those that make up
objects from around the world and those applied
in past treatments.
Preparations for the WCEC have also been
an opportunity to ensure that processes such as
disinfestation by freezing can be systematically
applied to entire sections of the collection,
ensuring that when they are placed in their
upgraded stores, the artefacts carry the lowest risk
of contamination possible.
Collaborating to Conserve Egyptian Paintings
Four portraits from Fayum in Egypt – two
men and two women – were the subject of a
collaboration between the BM and the National
Gallery. The funerary portraits are a fascinating
blend of two cultures: the portrait tradition is
Roman, but the practice of painting them to
cover a mummified face in burial is Egyptian.
While Ancient Egyptian funerary portraits are
likelier candidates for the BM’s world collection
than the National Gallery’s, two were donated
to each institution by the Mond family in the
early 20th century. At some point in the past, the
portraits had been attached to cradle-like mounts,
but the wooden panels were beginning to split
and buckle, causing the painted surfaces to lift.
Though the portraits themselves are not a
set, their past conservation links them and so
conservators from both institutions worked
together to remove the portraits from the old
mounts. They stabilised them and then provided
new mounts. This delicate process of conservation
was also a rare opportunity for scientists from the
BM and National Gallery to perform analytical
work on cross-sections of these 2000-year-old
works to learn more about the pigments the artists
used and how the paintings were produced.
Japanese Erotic Art
Scholarship is sometimes constrained by its
subject matter. ‘Spring pictures’ or shunga are
erotic Japanese paintings, prints and book
illustrations. The earliest appear as graffiti hidden
on 7th-century Buddhist statues and they evolved
across a variety of forms, including handscrolls
and woodblock prints. By the 17th century, they
were an accepted part of the repertoire of ukiyo-e
or pictures of the floating world.
With funding from the Leverhulme Trust,
the under-studied history of shunga has been the
subject of a major three-year research project,
in collaboration with the School of Oriental
and African Studies, University of London;
International Research Center for Japanese
Studies, Kyoto; and Ritsumeikan University,
Kyoto. Topics range from histories of ownership
and distribution to how the artform was inhibited
by westernisation in Japan, as the country opened
up in the late 19th century. A major exhibition,
supported by the Tokyo Art Club, is planned for
2013 at the BM and 2014 in Tokyo.
Keeping an Eye on the Silver
‘Accelerated ageing’ is what most skincare
products are trying to prevent. But as a protocol
for scientific research, it is essential. To judge the
Embracing couple (detail),
about 1785
This colour woodblock print
by Torii Kiyonaga is part
of a wide-ranging study of
Japanese erotic art.
influence of materials used in display cases on the
objects they support, studies at the BM exaggerate
the conditions in which such materials operate, in
order to get a sense of what the cumulative effect
will be over time. In 2011, experiments into the
effect of certain foams on sterling and pure silver
showed that over varying periods, some were not
only benign but in fact helped to reduce corrosion
by scavenging sulphide gases (which cause silver
to tarnish) from the surrounding environment.
This was just one of many experiments the
department carried out in 2011/12 on a range of
substances. The results are used to support the
care and presentation of the collection, and are
shared among colleagues internationally through
conferences, lectures, media coverage, online
publications and journals, including the BM’s
own annual Technical Research Bulletin.
Hermes Back on his Pedestal
Fragments of a classical statue of the god Hermes
– a first century ad Roman copy of a Greek
original – were successfully reconstructed in
2011. The final result drew on both scientific and
curatorial research, combining X-ray analysis
with a study of old images of the object. On longterm
loan to the BM from the Royal Botanic
Gardens, Kew, the 2.1m-high male figure had

20 The British Museum Review 2011/12
been heavily restored in the 18th century.
The original marble and that used in the
restoration were closely matched, so scientific
investigation was required to identify what was
original. Minero-petrographic and scanning
electron microscopic analyses were carried out
on four samples. Scientists identified two different
marbles, one dolomitic, which was used for the
original parts, and the other calcitic, which was
employed for the restored components.
Photographs enabled the BM to identify the
plinth that had been used to display the statue
in the 19th century and the two have now, after
several decades’ severance, been reunited. The
beautiful figure of Hermes will go on display in
the BM as part of its Olympic Trail in 2012.
Four Centuries of Spanish Prints and Drawings
In the BM collection, they range from a simple
playing card of the Spanish Renaissance to
Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington. With
funding from the Arts and Humanities Research
Council (AHRC), the BM is exploring the
largely uncharted territory of the origins and
development of Spanish prints and drawings, a
subject little studied outside of Spain.
The research project looks at the history
of Spanish graphic arts from around 1400 to
the time of Goya in the early 19th century
Head of a monk,
1635–55
Research and a
forthcoming exhibition
on Spanish drawings
feature artists such as
Francisco de Zurbarán,
known for his powerful
renderings of monastic
life. (28 x 20 cm)
Andean textiles
An international team is
studying natural dyes in
textiles such as these
from Peru, some over
2000 years old.
– including architectural prints, religious subjects,
landscapes and even fans. One critical aspect is
to consider the presence of foreign artists working
in Spain and how they contributed to the artistic
landscape. Research in Spanish collections has
led to significant discoveries about artists and
works associated with the BM’s own prints.
New acquisitions will support a major
exhibition in 2012/13. They include a penand-wash
cartoon of embroideries to decorate
vestments in the Escorial monastery and an
exquisitely drawn 17th-century male nude by
Valencian artist Juan Antonio Conchillos y Falcó.
Unknown Dyes from the Andes
Our knowledge of European dyes is extensive:
what they are made of, how they operate
chemically and how they endure. But we know far
less of dyestuffs from the rest of the world, as until
recently they have been much less studied. With a
major grant from the Leverhulme Trust, the BM
is pioneering research into Andean textiles and in
particular, the natural dyes used to produce them.
The programme is multidisciplinary, with
colleagues from Paris, Madrid and Peru engaged
in fieldwork in South America gathering
plants and other raw materials and examining
traditional dyeing practices, knowledge which is
at risk of disappearing in the modern age.
21 Section Heading
Qur’an case
necklace, 1950s
The study of Omani silver
included this necklace
incorporating barrelshaped
silver beads,
coral and 12 Indian
rupees.
The study is wide-ranging, and will raise
complex questions: from the effect of the
environment on colour longevity to the impact
of local resources on colour choice and its cultural
significance. Not least among the benefits will
be improvements in the long-term care and
preservation of fragile textiles across the world.
Rattling Bracelets from Oman
What we know about artefacts is a complex
business. Imported materials may reveal the
presence of trade and cultural contact. Dirt or
wear on objects can tell us how they were used.
Living makers may have knowledge of methods
employed in the past.
A wonderful collection of Omani silver
jewellery at the BM has recently been studied
with just such a combination of approaches.
Acquired in 2009, the 240 pieces are in a
tradition of handmade jewellery that reaches
back to the mid-19th century at least. The BM’s
is the largest public collection of Omani silver
in Europe, and all the more significant as the
region’s silver jewellery is now in decline. Omani
women today generally prefer gold.
Some materials can be identified historically
– much of the silver was melted down from
imported coins such as Maria Theresa thalers
and Indian rupees. Sometimes thalers, rupees
and Saudi rials were used as decorative pendants
on Omani necklaces, signalling the wealth of the
owner and also acting as portable bank accounts.
An elaborate child’s necklace of chains, embossed
disks and a Qur’an-case amulet incorporates
a wolf’s tooth and carnelian stone to ward off
illness, poverty and the evil eye.
Scientific analysis explained much more.
X-radiography showed that the varying
rattles you could hear in hollow bracelets
and anklets were caused by the different
materials hidden inside: metal and glass beads
and stone fragments. Backscattered electron
images revealed tool marks. X-ray fluorescence
determined the composition of solder and gilding.
Speaking to makers in Oman, BM staff learned
exactly how the chains, gilding and stamped
designs they could observe were in fact produced.
Further fieldwork in Oman is planned, to
gather as much information as possible while
we still can about this rich tradition of Arabian
jewellery-making.

22 The British Museum Review 2011/12 23 Section Heading
The Tomb of the Unknown
Craftsman, 2011
Grayson Perry’s awardwinning
exhibition
concluded with this long
iron ship incorporating
artefacts based on the BM
collection. (3 x 2 m)
At the museum

Exhibitions
Woven cane basket,
early 1900s
Baskets from northern
Queensland were among
the exhibits in the popular
Australian Season.
(33 x 30 cm)
Spiritual journeys have been the focus of a
series of popular exhibitions at the BM in
recent years: the afterlife in Ancient Egypt,
the veneration of saints in medieval Europe, a
tomb for the works of unknown craftsmen, and
most recently, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.
Such displays use the collection and loans
to tell stories through things, in all their rich
particularity.
Out Front for the Outback of Australia
The Forecourt in front of the BM was the heart of
the 2011 Australian Season, supported by Rio Tinto.
Australia Landscape: Kew at the British Museum was
the fourth of the annual world landscapes planted
in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens,
Kew. A great favourite with summer visitors,
the Australian landscape featured Tea trees
and eucalypts, Kurrajongs and the evergreen
Kangeroo Paw. 90% of Australian plants are
found only in Australia.
A popular programme of Australian music,
films, talks and craft workshops was linked to
two exhibitions. Baskets and Belonging: Indigenous
Australian Histories used a remarkable collection
of baskets to trace the history of Aboriginal
Australian communities, notably since British
settlement. Out of Australia: Prints and Drawings
from Sidney Nolan to Rover Thomas focused on
From Back of Beyond, 1954
This powerful image of
drought by Sidney Nolan
featured in the exhibition Out
of Australia. (26 x 31 cm)
Australia’s major artists of the past 70 years. The
exhibition – the largest devoted to Australian
works on paper ever held outside Australia – drew
on the BM collection, including works by the
‘Angry Penguins’ Sidney Nolan and Arthur Boyd
in the 1940s and others. The collection has grown
through generous gifts to the BM in recent years,
including striking prints by leading Aboriginal
artists Rover Thomas and Pedro Wonaeamirri,
given by Gordon and Marilyn Darling. Over
170,000 people visited the two shows, and their
success prompted further important gifts to
the collection, including eight additional Back
of Beyond drawings by Sidney Nolan, given by
his widow Mary Nolan, and a work by former
Bauhaus artist Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack, given
by Julia Schottlander. This poignant woodcut
was created during Mack’s internment with other
German-Jewish refugee artists classified by the
British government as ‘enemy aliens’
and deported to Australia.
Gilding to Glorify Heaven’s Saints
‘This exhibition is as historically intricate, as
imaginatively resonant and as gloriously evocative
as the objects that it displays,’ judged The Times.
It awarded five stars to Treasures of Heaven: Saints,
Relics and Devotion in Medieval Europe, sponsored
by John Studzinski, in association with William
25 Exhibitions
and Judith Bollinger, Singapore; Betsy and Jack
Ryan; Howard and Roberta Ahmanson; and The
Hintze Family Charitable Foundation.
For three months, relics and medieval
reliquaries of Christian saints – among them rare
loans from the Sancta Sanctorum, the private
chapel of the popes in the Lateran Palace, and
lesser-known treasures from European churches –
were brought together in the Round Reading
Room. The veneration of holy relics was reflected
in their elaborately crafted receptacles: a wooden
head of St Eustace covered in a silver-gilt shell
adorned with rock crystal, amethyst and pearls;
Shrine of
St Amandus, 1250–75
Treasures of Heaven
included this gilded
reliquary for the bones of
the Bishop of Maastricht.
(49 x 64 x 31 cm)

Our Mother, 2009
For Grayson Perry’s
cultural pilgrimage, he
created this powerful castiron
figure. (Height 85 cm)
27 Exhibitions
architectural reliquaries of astonishing detail,
their niches filled with the tiny figures of saints;
reliquary crosses and pendants and votive plaques
painted, bejewelled and gilded.
As the Evening Standard concluded, ‘the British
Museum’s summer exhibition Treasures of Heaven
is an astonishing accumulation of these things,
beautifully displayed, the soaring dome of the
Reading Room seeming suitably ecclesiastical.’
Over 75,000 visitors attended.
Art from Japan to Germany
Leading Japanese manga artist Hoshino
Yukinobu translated the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon
sculptures, Benin bronzes, even the BM building
itself, into a popular modern medium. Manga
at the BM was a display of his drawings that
coincided with the English-language publication
of Professor Munakata’s British Museum Adventure. The
graphic art of manga has a global following, and
Hoshino’s dramatically drawn adventure set in the
BM, first published in Japan, has now catapulted
the BM and its collection to the attention of this
worldwide audience of manga fans.
Landscape, Heroes and Folktales: German Romantic
Prints and Drawings, supported by the Samuel H.
Kress Foundation, took a visual tour through the
age of Goethe, Schubert and Hegel. Germany’s
cultural flowering in the late 18th and early 19th
Manga at the BM
Drawings by Hoshino
Yukinobu, later published
as books in Japanese and
English, made the BM
the setting for a manga
adventure.
I too was in Arcadia, 1801
This etching by
Carl Wilhelm Kolbe
featured in the exhibition
on German Romantic
prints. (41 x 53 cm)
centuries saw artists looking back to
Dürer and Raphael while at the same time
developing an interest in Germanic history and
legends. The new technique of lithography,
invented in Munich, played a central role in
the representation of northern landscapes. The
centrepiece of the show was The Four Times of Day
by Philipp Otto Runge, its allegories of earthly
and heavenly love fundamental expressions of
German Romantic thought.
Art from the Middle East featured in several
displays in the Islamic galleries, including art from
Herat, Afghanistan; modern Syrian art; and the
responses of young Saudi artists to the Hajj.
BM Celebrates the Unnamed Craftsman
Winner of the 2012 South Bank Sky Arts Award
for Visual Arts, the exhibition Grayson Perry:
The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, supported by
AlixPartners, with Louis Vuitton, was a tribute
to the world’s unknown makers – those artists we
cannot name, but who for thousands of years have
created some of the most potent artefacts known to
mankind, works which fill the BM.
Artist Grayson Perry’s ‘tomb’ was an
imaginative repository of objects that he had
selected as he spent two years exploring the
furthest reaches of the BM collection – fragments
of Roman cameos, Japanese playing cards,

28 29
Water flask, 19th century
Chinese porcelain
exported to the Middle
East was used to carry
water from the spring
of Zamzam at Mecca.
(Height 23 cm)
Magnetism, 2011
This powerful image by
Saudi artist Ahmed Mater
uses a magnet and iron
filings to evoke images of
the Hajj. (63 x 42 cm)
phallus-hugging statues, Aztec painting, an
Asafo flag from Ghana. Set among them were
his own creative responses: a bright yellow and
blue Rosetta vase; a pilgrim badge showing his
teddy bear on horseback; a powerful bronze skull
studded with nails; a coffin for his ponytail; and
as the climax, a cast-iron ship three metres long
he called The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman. With
generous assistance from private supporters and
the BM Friends, three of the works were acquired
for the collection.
‘A walk around my head’ was how Perry
described the exhibition, and 118,000 visitors were
happy to walk alongside him. The Telegraph found
it ‘entertaining and unexpectedly touching’; the
Observer an ‘exhilarating celebration’. For Howard
Jacobson writing in the Independent, it was quite
simply: ‘The best exhibition by a contemporary
artist I’ve seen in years.’
Taking it One Object at a Time
Objects in Focus: The Asahi Shimbun Displays are a
series of changing displays that explore a single
object. Background Story 7 by renowned Chinese
artist Xu Bing was an installation made especially
for the BM. Seen from the front, the tall panel
had the appearance of a traditional Chinese ink
landscape painting, but as visitors walked round
the back, they were astonished to find the image
was in fact created by shadows cast from threedimensional
objects: dried plants, hemp fibre and
paper placed in a light box. The work attracted
international press attention. Later displays
explored a crocodile dance mask from the Torres
Strait Islands; Hokusai’s print ‘The Great Wave’;
and an olive-wood model of the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Displays throughout the BM included an
intriguing comparison of the cost of living in
Roman and modern Britain and (as part of the
London 2012 Cultural Olympiad) Mine to Medals:
The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Medals, supported by Rio Tinto.
The Journey of a Lifetime
‘An exhibition of profound cultural importance
has just opened at the British Museum,’
announced the Evening Standard. The newspaper
was reviewing Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam,
presented in partnership with King Abdulaziz
Public Library. The exhibition was generously
supported by HSBC Amanah.
The exhibition caught hold of a hunger in
the public to know more about the Hajj. BBC
Radio 3’s Night Waves remarked that ‘the star
of the show is an idea’ – what it means to make
the holy pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims
must try to do at least once in their lifetime, if
they are able. Archaeological material, textiles
and manuscripts, historical photographs and
contemporary artworks, gifts taken as offerings
and souvenirs brought home – all were brought
together to convey the routes, rituals and richness
of an experience that draws together Muslims
from across the world, regardless of nationality
or sect. The exhibition also incorporated the
experiences of UK Muslims, recorded with
funding from the AHRC. Hajj attracted 20,000
visitors in its first month. In total, 140,000 people
attended, including over 13,000 school visits.
‘This is one of the most brilliant exhibitions
the British Museum has put on,’ summed up the
Guardian. The BM’s goal is for such exhibitions
to engender debate, as this one did, not least
among commentators in the Sunday Times, TLS
and New Statesman who raised concerns about the
destruction of historical religious sites around
Mecca. Yet with 2.5 million Muslims in the UK
and a quarter of the world’s population practising
Islam, it was a good idea to understand ‘the
faith that made them travel so far,’ argued the
Independent. ‘This journey, round this museum,
which makes you think of all the journeys human
beings have ever made, is a very, very, very good
place to start.’
Seven Times (detail),
2010
British artist Idris Khan’s
144 oil-sealed steel cubes
inscribed with prayers
were inspired by his
father’s Hajj.

Bangladesh Family Day
Activities included displays
of music and dance in the
Great Court. Over 2000
people attended.
Hiding from mummy
Children’s sleepovers
at the BM are a popular
night-time feature.
Events
An iconic building, an online resource, an
authority on history – the BM is many things
today. But for many, the BM is a place of activity
– of schools programmes and adult learning, of
children’s sleepovers and hands-on creativity,
of public discussion and political debate. All
support the BM’s aim to bring the past to life
and share its importance to how we live today.
Dancing, Painting, Carving, Listening
Just another day at the museum? Assyrian lions
still standing guard. Gold from Sutton Hoo
glinting mysteriously. The Lewis chessmen
longing to go out and play.
In 2011/12 at the BM, visitors did the
following: tweeted haikus into cyberspace; heard
a virtuoso rubab player from Afghanistan; carved
miniature caskets of soapstone; made transvestite
mummies with students from London’s University
of the Arts; filled their lungs to blow a note on
the didjeridu; learned to sink, planish and punch
pewter in the style of Omani silver; painted tiny
illuminations like manuscripts from medieval
Europe. More than 500 children and adults
learned and performed dances from the
Middle Ages.
What drives the BM’s thousands of activities
for the public each year is an ambition to animate
history, to give objects from the past a living
31 Section Heading

32 The British Museum Review 2011/12 33 Events
presence. If the BM/BBC Radio 4 hit A History
of the World in 100 Objects gave voice to some of
the collection’s hidden stories, participatory
events at the BM offer insight into other cultural
connections – not just with artistry and craft, but
with the very habits of world civilisations and
peoples out of which the entire collection arose.
Scholarship, Politics and Debate
From film screenings to political lectures, the
platforms to present world culture at the BM
attract a variety of audiences. A day of film
documentaries ranged from Tunisia to Toxteth.
Rashid Khalidi, Professor of Modern Arab
Studies at Columbia University, spoke on human
dignity in Jerusalem in the annual Edward Said
London lecture. Free lunch-hour talks covered
topics as diverse as climate change; the spread
of HIV; Greek sculpture and the modern male
body; and how the science of investigating
pigments helps us to date and conserve fragile
objects such as the Lindisfarne Gospels.
Collaborative courses with Birkbeck College
used the collection to teach world arts and
artefacts, while an Open University study day
used BM objects to introduce the beliefs of
Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.
Artist Grayson Perry examined celebrity
bodies. Historian Eamon Duffy spoke on the
impact of the King James Bible. Popular talks
held in conjunction with the London Review of
Books included writers Michael Ondaatje and
Javier Cercas, and leading thinkers discussing
the Arab revolutions. Among the year’s public
debates were a BM/Guardian Public Forum,
Afghanistan: What makes a nation? and a debate
organised with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
on the tensions between exploiting and preserving
the landscape of Australia.
School Trips and Young Visitors
The BM reaches around 252,000 pupils through
booked school visits, 111,000 of them from
overseas. A new session on the afterlife in Ancient
Egypt – which evolved out of the BM’s successful
exhibition on the Book of the Dead last year –
was one of more than 30 special topics taught at
the BM to primary and secondary students. BM
courses are also offered to groups of teachers
to support the National Curriculum and train
them in inventive approaches to learning through
objects. The goal is for them to see the BM as a
resource they can use with their pupils.
The families programme, for adults and
young visitors outside of school, could be almost
anything that took your fancy: collaborating on
large Australian mosaics set out in the Great
Court; designing a manga comic strip; building
a compass to travel the Arab world; or Samurai
sword demonstrations. As with the schools
programme, many take place in the Samsung
Digital Discovery Centre, where you could take
your teddy time-travelling (inspired by Grayson
Perry) or mash up digital images of animals in
the BM collection to create a T-shirt transfer of
your own mismatched creature.
Cultures in Contact was a three-year project
funded by Deutsche Bank and supported by its
staff as volunteers. Working with entire year
groups from four London comprehensive schools,
the team explored different time periods, using
digital and other resources to encourage the
students to investigate both the BM and their
own singular or mixed cultural heritage. The
programme has been a huge success.
Reaching Diverse Communities
To mark the 40th anniversary of Bangladesh’s
independence, over 2000 people attended a
Bangladesh Family Day in September 2011.
Modern Bangladeshi works of art were displayed,
as were brightly painted rickshaw panels, a
typical feature of the streets of Dhaka today.
Storytellers spun tales of the watery lands of the
Bengal Delta, alongside dancers and performers,
film screenings and lectures, gallery tours and
community art activities. Many from London’s
Afghanistan: What
makes a nation?
Broadcaster Jon Snow
chairs a BM/Guardian
Public Forum with a panel
of scholars, journalists and
policy-makers.
Young visitors
School visits and family
activities encourage
younger visitors to explore
the collection.
Bangladeshi community were first-time visitors
to the BM.
Community events adapt the BM programme
to specific groups: the elderly, the vulnerable, the
hard-to-reach. Multi-sensory walks through the
summer’s Australia Landscape in the Forecourt were
designed for the blind. In association with the
charity Kids Company, 83 vulnerable children
enjoyed a treasure hunt and sleepover at the BM.
Talking Objects, a BM programme supported by
John Lyon’s Charity in London and the Esmée
Fairbairn Foundation nationally, focuses activities
around single BM objects. A Sikh youth group
used creative writing to explore a fortress turban,
while young people from Sierra Leone worked
with a helmet mask. Other approaches included
the use of puppets and theatre to overcome
inhibitions in approaching museum collections.
BMuse, the BM’s youth panel, celebrated the
culmination of Talking Objects London with an
open day, inviting other youth groups to see films
made as part of the programme, which is now
extending its reach across the UK.
Joining In
One way of accessing the BM is by contributing.
Many donate generously to the collection and
its programmes; others volunteer their time
and expertise. Nearly 900 volunteers support

34 The British Museum Review 2011/12 35 Events
the entire range of the BM’s work. Many of the
320,000 prints now accessible worldwide at highresolution
on the BM website were scanned by
volunteers; museum outreach to elderly people
and their carers as part of the Shared Experience
programme is conducted by volunteers; popular
object-handling desks and tours at the BM are
run by volunteers.
Over 40,000 BM Friends, including over
1500 Young Friends, are also avid supporters.
Adult Members enjoyed an extensive programme
of exclusive Members’ evenings offering talks,
tours and hands-on displays. A day of Norse
activities for the Young Friends saw the ‘Sleeping
Army’ of Lewis chessmen brought to life, while
boat-building and storytelling were among the
imaginative games for a December sleepover
inspired by Grayson Perry and his teddy bear.
A new Members’ Room overlooking the Great
Court opens in 2012.
Hajj: Journey to
the Heart of Islam
Saudi Ambassador Prince
Mohammed bin Nawaf bin
Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Prince
Charles and BM Director
Neil MacGregor attend the
opening. The exhibition
attracted 140,000 visitors.
Journeys for Everyone
The BM holds free previews of major exhibitions
to build relationships with local communities.
Audiences which rarely (or never) visit are
encouraged through outreach and individual
contact to come to the BM and reminded that it
belongs to them.
Each one increases in scale: over 300 people
attended a community preview for Grayson Perry
and for Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam, over 870
people responded, the largest community preview
ever held at the BM. The groups ranged from
the Southwark Muslim Women’s Association to
the Cromer Street Mosque to the East London
Bangladeshi Parents and Carers Association.
Some were first-time visitors, others were making
return visits, including Turkish, Moroccan,
Somali, African-Caribbean, Bengali, Iraqi,
Chinese and Afghani groups. Representatives of
more than 80 groups attended, including refugee
support groups, youth groups, local charities,
neighbourhood centres and resource centres
for the elderly. At its most effective, the reach
extends beyond the BM’s points of contact:
members of one local community garden
group who work with the BM invited Muslim
neighbours to visit the exhibition as a gesture
in community building.
The project curator introduced the exhibition,
highlighting key themes and exhibits. As one
participant wrote, the visit to the BM with
so many different groups ‘is so welcome, and
provides an opportunity for us to be together
and get to know one another more closely’.
In the months prior to the opening, the BM
also launched an online campaign to gather the
personal stories that make up the modern-day
Hajj. The result has been a growing website of
contributions – some written, some on video –
that describe what it means to people of very
different backgrounds and circumstances to make
the trip to Mecca. ‘Our Hajj group travelled
to Mecca,’ wrote one, ‘and my first sight of the
Ka’aba was humbling, I felt that I was at the
centre of the universe, a particle in the heavenly
dance, drinking in the honey air, swimming in
endless oceans of Mercy.’

36 The British Museum Review 2011/12 37 Section Heading
Piecing together the past
Finds such as these
fragments of a Greek
drinking cup of 575–560 bc
were dispersed after
excavations at Naukratis in
northern Egypt. They are
being reunited as part of a
major research project.
Beyond the museum

Media and
publications
Shakespeare’s
Restless World
The latest BM/BBC
Radio 4 series examines
20 objects from
Shakespeare’s time,
including an apprentice’s
cap and designs for
a united Scottish and
English flag prepared for
James I in 1603–4.
The BM’s national and international presence
is supported by film, radio, television and
publications. The BM online is an important
focus, providing new types of access to the
collection, research and events. With increasing
digital participation, the BM is bringing
people from around the world into its cultural
conversation.
A History of the World wins the Art Fund Prize
The BM/BBC Radio 4 series A History of the World
in 100 Objects continued its international success
in 2011/12. The overall programme, including
events and displays with 550 museums around the
UK, won the 2011 Art Fund Prize for ‘Museum
of the Year’.
Michael Portillo, chair of the judges, said:
‘We were particularly impressed by the truly
global scope of the British Museum’s project,
which combined intellectual rigour and openheartedness,
and went far beyond the boundaries
of the museum’s walls. Above all, we felt that
this project, which showed a truly pioneering use
of digital media, has led the way for museums
to interact with their audiences in new and
different ways. Without changing the core of
the British Museum’s purpose, people have and
are continuing to engage with objects in an
innovative way as a consequence of this project.’
The 100-part radio series journeyed across
the world’s cultures, starting with a two-millionyear-old
stone chopping tool and finishing with
a solar-powered lamp made in 2010. It was
rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra, and in 2012
was broadcast in the USA on New York-based
WNYC, part of the National Public Radio group.
There have been over 27.5 million downloads of
the series worldwide.
The book is being published in ten countries
including Russia, China, South Korea, Japan,
Italy and Spain. It has already appeared in the
USA, and in Dutch and German translations,
earning enthusiastic reviews. As Die Welt put it,
‘Man liest dieses lehrreiche Buch mit Staunen
und Vergnügen. Ein famoses Werk’ (‘A learned
book you read with amazement and amusement.
A splendid opus’). The two British editions
became the top-selling history book in the UK for
the period, selling over 220,000 copies. It has sold
over 350,000 copies worldwide.
A new BM/BBC Radio 4 collaboration was
recorded in 2011/12 for broadcast in April and
May 2012. In Shakespeare’s Restless World, BM
Director Neil MacGregor explores the political,
religious and social debates at the heart of
Shakespeare’s world, when the globe was first
circumnavigated and public theatres like the
Globe in Southwark first emerged.
39 Media and publications
A History of the World in
100 Objects
The book to accompany
the award-winning radio
series has been translated
into German, Dutch and
Chinese.

40 The British Museum Review 2011/12 41 Media and publications
Film, Television, Radio and Spies
TV and radio production teams visit the BM
from across the world. In 2011/12 the BM
reached at least 300 million people through
broadcasts by the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, National
Geographic, Discovery Channel, HISTORY and
Sky, as well as global broadcasting companies
NBC America, Munhwa (South Korea), CCTV
(China) and companies from across Europe.
Location filming for advertisements and feature
films saw the BM appear in a popular Chinese
romantic comedy, Dear Enemy, while the BM’s
west London storage facility, shared with the
V&A and Science Museum, had a starring role
in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Television tie-ins included BBC4’s Treasures
of Heaven, with Andrew Graham-Dixon, and a
documentary on The Hidden Art of Islam. Using
footage commissioned by the BM, BBC1’s Imagine
followed artist Grayson Perry as he unearthed
extraordinary objects from the collection.
These programmes were seen by several million
UK viewers. Beyond the UK, Japan’s NHK
broadcasting has been making documentaries
about the BM’s work at home and around the
world, focusing on Egypt, Greece and Japan.
They will be broadcast later in 2012.
The BM also commissions its own web videos
which sit on an increasing number of platforms,
primarily the BM website and YouTube. One
showed the Australian landscape being planted
in the BM Forecourt, another the meticulous
construction of a work by Chinese artist Xu Bing.
Over 50,000 viewers watched a short promotional
video for the Hajj exhibition in its first two weeks.
Web and Social Media
An increasingly large public is reached via
Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
Followers on Twitter (94,000) increased by 92%,
and ‘likes’ on Facebook (182,000) doubled, with
over half coming from those between the ages
of 18 and 34.
The website’s redesign in 2011 streamlined
both its appearance and functionality,
particularly for increasing numbers accessing it
on smartphones and other mobile devices.
The BM blog allows the Museum to speak with
a more personal voice about its work, whether it’s
progress on a dig in Sudan or the latest discovery
of a Viking hoard, with an opportunity for
visitors to comment. The blog receives on average
12,000 views per month.
The BM Channel was launched on the website
in October 2011. It brings together audio and
video specially created for the BM. Lectures and
debates can be listened to again or downloaded,
videos on the collection and exhibitions screened.
To encourage wider access online, British Sign
Language videos on 200 highlighted objects,
first created for the BM’s Multimedia Guide, are
now available on the website.
Digital Campaigns
With each new exhibition, the BM finds new
ways of engaging visitors. Different approaches
to communicating with the public enable digital
media to play an increasing role in how people
‘visit’ the BM.
The hunt for a teddy bear stunt double was
a first for the BM. Grayson Perry’s exhibition
opened with his Kenilworth AM1 motorcycle,
at the back of which is a special space for his
childhood teddy bear, Alan Measles. Perry and
the BM launched on online campaign to find
three stunt doubles to perch there during the
exhibition. A video appeal by the artist was
uploaded on the BM website and communicated
through the BM’s social media channels
including Facebook and Twitter, alongside
significant coverage in the national media. Over
4000 people viewed the video and thousands
‘liked’ the competition and tweeted about it. Of
nearly 300 applicants (with bear CVs attached),
12 finalists faced a public vote on the BM
website, with the winning three teddy bears
– Pinny, Dr Schmoo and Ted – having their
BM website
A new BM Channel was
launched for visitors to
access short films, videos
and audio recordings.
Digital campaigns
to encourage public
participation were linked
to major exhibitions.
moment of fame on Perry’s motorbike
displayed in the BM.
Online Collections and Research
The BM’s collection online now receives on
average 1.5 million page views per month –
an astonishing resource for public knowledge
and communication. On 19 July 2011, the
Documentation Section added its two millionth
digital record – a tiny silver coin from the Hoxne
Hoard, one of 15,000 Roman coins discovered
in Suffolk in 1992. Significant additions included
digitising the Townley drawings associated with
the BM’s important historical collection on
ancient Greece and Rome.
New research pages online included two
major projects funded by the Leverhulme Trust:
Money in Africa and Andean textiles. Both are
the subject of continuing fieldwork. New research
catalogues published on the BM website include
studies of ancient Cyprus, Egyptian papyri and
a forthcoming catalogue on Asante gold regalia
from Ghana.
In 2011, the BM released a Semantic Web
version of the database, funded by the Andrew
W. Mellon Foundation, that provides access to
the same website data, but in a specific computerreadable
format. Using the open-data standard
RDF, it can be used to link the BM’s collection

42 The British Museum Review 2011/12
data to that published by other organisations
around the world. The protocol takes museum
data in a new direction, facilitating wider
access and permitting what the BM hopes will
be innovative applications of the collection by
external users.
Cows, Blue Jeans and a Manga Detective
‘An entertaining mix of archaeology and
adventure’ was how the New Scientist described
the book Professor Munakata’s British Museum
Adventure by Hoshino Yukinobu. The manga
drawings of cultural mayhem included the theft
of Stonehenge, a sinister airship that holds the
BM to ransom, and the near destruction of
St Paul’s Cathedral. It was one of over 40 new
books published by the British Museum Press
in 2011/12.
Subjects ranged from the outside of cows to
the inside of mummies. Cattle: History, Myth, Art
took in Paleolithic drawings, the Parthenon
frieze, Spanish bullfights and water-buffalo
racing. Mummy: The Inside Story set out in book
form the innards of the internationally popular
BM touring exhibition on mummies, journeying
inside a mummy using scanning technology and
computer visualisation.
Books for adults and children on the ancient
Olympic games proved popular, as did BM
exhibition catalogues. Treasures of Heaven: Saints,
Relics and Devotion in Medieval Europe sold 10,000
copies, while Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the
Unknown Craftsman sold nearly 17,000 copies.
At year end the catalogue for Hajj had sold
14,500 copies.
The William M.B. Berger Prize for British
Art History 2011 was awarded to the BM’s new
publication Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria.
Other titles included a new edition of Indigo:
From Egyptian Mummies to Blue Jeans and books
on women in the ancient world and the Sutton
Hoo treasure.
Research Publications
The Cuerdale Hoard was discovered in
Lancashire in 1840. The silver coins, jewellery
and ingots are the largest Viking hoard known
outside Russia. Supported by the Marc Fitch
Fund, an in-depth study of the finds set in the
wider context of the Viking Age was one of
several BM Research Publications in 2011/12.
Other volumes discussed the restoration of the
Acropolis; the BM’s collection of Sikh coins;
sports, medicine, immortality and the perfect
body; gemstones in late antiquity; and, to mark
the 150th anniversary of the BM Department
of Coins and Medals, the future of UK
numismatics.
British Museum Press
From children’s books to
in-depth research, the BM
published on topics such
as the Cuerdale Hoard of
Viking silver (left)
and Sikh coins (below).
The BM is an international centre of
scholarship. It brings together experts in diverse
disciplines to produce the most comprehensive
research possible. In 2011 staff published more
than 320 books and articles, while independent
researchers consulted over 227,000 objects at the
BM. Essays, books and public talks by BM staff
ranged from a lecture on Andean studies (given
in Stirling) to an article on zones of war and the
preservation of cultural heritage.
Scholarly honours for BM staff included
assistant keeper Marion Archibald being awarded
the Medal of the Royal Numismatics Society.
National
Future Curators
New initiatives include
a programme run with
several partner museums
to train young curators
in the UK.
From encouraging the public to report
archaeological finds to training young
museum professionals, the BM runs a range
of nationwide programmes. Objects from the
collection are loaned to museums and galleries
across Britain and the BM offers support in
conservation, research and public
programming.
Training the Nation’s Future Curators
With support from the Heritage Lottery Fund,
the BM’s Future Curators programme trains
high-calibre entrants to the sector. Trainees
spend six months on placement at the BM
and a further year at a partner museum in
Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester or
Newcastle. Combining formal training with
on-the-job experience, the participants acquire
knowledge of collections, a range of curatorial
and transferable skills, and a network of valuable
professional contacts. For its initial five places, the
BM received 700 applications, while phase 2 had
more than 1500 applicants.
Sharing expertise nationally ranges from
academic research to summer schools held at the
BM. A ‘truck art’ project in Luton saw the BM
offer loans and support contact between Museums
Luton and the National Museum in Pakistan.
The BM also works with amateur archaeologists

44 The British Museum Review 2011/12 45 National
Community art in Luton
Inspired by a South Asian
folk art tradition, a group
of young Lutonians teamed
up with artists from the UK
and Pakistan to decorate a
vintage Vauxhall truck.
Warriors of the Plains
This touring exhibition to
Leeds and Omagh featured
powwow and other regalia
of the Plains Indians.
and the general public. Members of the Chiseldon
community and local history society were able
to visit the BM studios to witness close-up the
conservation of 11 Iron Age cauldrons excavated
near their village in Wiltshire. Facilities in the
new World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre
will enable the BM to extend training and
collaborations for greater numbers across
the UK.
BM Displays from Ulster to Stornaway
National tours of BM exhibitions show the
collection to audiences around the country.
A new BM tour, Warriors of the Plains, took powwow
regalia and medicine shields to Lotherton
Hall, Leeds, the first of four UK venues. In
Northern Ireland, at the Ulster American Folk
Park in Omagh, the Plains Indian display was of
particular interest set against the museum’s own
indigenous material from North America. Media
coverage included a discussion on BBC Radio
Ulster.
Longstanding tours met with continuing
success. The Lewis Chessmen: Unmasked was seen
by 20,000 visitors in Stornaway on the Isle of
Lewis – a number nearly as large as the entire
population of the Outer Hebrides. Ancient Greek
pottery showing athletes, heroes and warriors
could be seen in Luton; revolutionary Mexican
prints in Newcastle; and works by Toulouse-
Lautrec in Cardiff, the final venue in a tour
viewed by 90,000 visitors. Tours were supported,
among others, by the Dorset Foundation and
Monument Trust.
The record for attendance at a UK tour for the
BM is China: Journey to the East, supported by BP, a
CHINA NOW legacy project: 100 objects, 3000
years of Chinese history, 400,000 UK visitors
so far. The hugely popular display was seen in
Manchester before continuing to Sheffield in
December 2011.
Partnership Galleries
In June 2011, the Roman Frontier gallery
was opened in Carlisle by BM Director Neil
MacGregor. It tells the story of the Roman
Empire’s northernmost frontier. Tullie House
Museum’s historical location near Hadrian’s Wall
makes it an ideal venue to display loans from the
BM collection of material from Ancient Rome. It
is hoped the new gallery will boost annual visitor
numbers to more than 300,000.
A redisplay of the Buddha Gallery at
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery was
launched by BM Trustee Karen Armstrong. Rare
artefacts from the BM were loaned to support the
gallery’s own collection. Blessed by a monk from
Birmingham’s Buddhist Vihara, they include a
National loans
The collection was seen
across the UK – from
Roman jewellery displayed
in Wales to a 1.6 metrehigh
Easter Island statue
on long-term loan in
Liverpool.
golden Buddha from Tibet, a magnificent Hindu
shrine model as well as works from Burma and
Sri Lanka.
BM staff also worked with the Ashmolean
Museum, Oxford to advise on the conservation
and display of painted wooden coffins from
Ancient Egypt. This was to support the opening
of major new Egyptian and Nubian galleries at
the Ashmolean in November 2011.
Easter Island Blows into Liverpool
Weighing 2.5 tonnes, Moai Hava is the smaller
of the BM’s two Easter Island statues. The
powerful basalt figure, thought to commemorate
a Polynesian chief, is a major long-term loan to
the World Museum in Liverpool, where it is now
a prominent feature in the museum atrium and a
significant draw for local visitors.
Loans from the BM support permanent
galleries and exhibitions across the UK. In
2011/12 the BM sent Tongan baskets made of
vegetable fibre to East Anglia; a statue of Nefertiti
to Oxford; a Bronze Age gold necklace in the
shape of a crescent moon to Penzance; and to
Yorkshire, a superb watercolour of Wakefield by
J.M.W. Turner, as part of the inaugural display
for the new Hepworth Wakefield gallery.
A gold ring with an ant engraved on it, a
gold bracelet, a gold necklace set with coloured
stones – the Rhayader jewels are a rare hoard
of Roman treasure discovered in 1899 in Wales.
Now housed in the BM, they were loaned to the
Rhayader Museum and Gallery – the first time
they were seen in over a century near their site of
discovery. In total the BM lent 1196 objects to
70 towns and cities across the UK in 2011/12.
A Viking Hoard and other UK Finds
The BM’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a
nationwide project to record archaeological finds
made by the public. In 2011, there was a 7.7%
rise in reported finds (97,509), while reported
Treasure increased by 13% (970). With nearly
half a million visitors accessing the PAS database,
it won the Best of the Web award for research and
online collections at the 2011 Museums and the
Web conference.
Recording over 750,000 objects, the database
is increasingly a resource for research on
archaeology in England and Wales, and in 2011,
a major grant from the Leverhulme Trust was
awarded to study PAS as a tool for archaeological
research.
In 2011, over 1400 public activities – club
visits, finds days, rallies and talks – raised the
profile of PAS across the UK. Over 50,000
people attended. A Finds Day at Arundel Castle
was filmed for ITV, while 72 PAS events were

46 The British Museum Review 2011/12
held from Cornwall to Cumbria as part of the
Festival of British Archaeology in July 2011.
Finds brought in for expert evaluation included a
striking Roman glass intaglio. Among the year’s
other important finds was a 13th-century seal
showing the Virgin and Child. It was made for
the Augustinian Priory at Stone in Staffordshire
and its finder has loaned it to be displayed locally.
The key to PAS’s success is its nationwide network
of Finds Liaison Officers, who record reported
finds and organise outreach events. Thanks to the
generosity of the Headley Trust, funding has been
made available to fund PAS interns until 2013/14.
Most notable of the year’s discoveries was
a Viking hoard. It was found at Silverdale in
Lancashire in September 2011 and included the
coin of a hitherto unknown Viking ruler. The
201 silver objects included arm and finger rings,
wire braid, brooch fragments and coins, all
preserved in a folded lead container and buried
underground around ad 900.
Roman Cavalry Helmet Back on Parade
‘This was one of the most challenging and
rewarding projects of my career,’ said BM
conservator Marilyn Hockey. In 2001,
archaeologists and volunteers at Hallaton in
Leicestershire unearthed what looked like a
rusty bucket. It turned out to be a magnificent
Silverdale hoard
A hoard of Viking silver
was discovered in
Lancashire in September
2011.
Seal matrix, 13th century
Finds registered through
the Portable Antiquities
Scheme included a
medieval seal matrix
showing the Virgin and
Child. (Length 7.4 cm)
2000-year-old Roman officer’s helmet. BM
conservators have now restored it, with support
from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and it was
unveiled to the public in January 2012.
The helmet received significant media
coverage. Nothing like it has ever been found
in Britain. Lifted from the ground in its soil
block, the hundreds of fragile fragments
were painstakingly removed, stabilised and
reconstructed. Astonishingly, most of the silvergilt
on the flashy cavalry helmet, if tarnished, was
still intact, and the decoration includes a victory
wreath, a woman flanked by lions and a Roman
Emperor on horseback towering over a defeated
figure below.
Research continues, as historians try to decide
whether it was an offering to a local shrine,
plundered from a Roman camp or possibly a
gift to a Briton serving in the Roman cavalry.
Acquired by Leicestershire County Council, the
helmet is on permanent display at Harborough
Museum. Marilyn Hockey was proud to see it
there: ‘It’s wonderful to be able to coax something
like this out of the soil and to allow it to show
itself off again.’
Hallaton helmet
A restored Roman cavalry
helmet – discovered in
hundreds of fragments
– was unveiled in 2012.
Its cheekpiece shows a
Roman victor crushing
the enemy.

48 The British Museum Review 2011/12 International
Pharaoh Draws Crowds Across the UK
‘British Museum handsomely fulfils its duties
outside London,’ ran the Guardian headline. The
article was about Pharaoh: King of Egypt, the largest
UK touring exhibition ever undertaken by the
BM. ‘It’s great to be able to see such treasures
in Newcastle,’ wrote Alan Sykes, ‘displayed in
a way which is accessible to all without being
crudely populist . . . the Great North Museum
managers must have been delighted with rain on
St Swithun’s Day to ensure this is the blockbuster
it deserves to be.’
A colossal statue of Ramesses II from about
1250 bc; a winged scarab inlaid with carnelian,
feldspar and lapis lazuli; a papyrus showing
the teaching of King Amenemhat – these were
among the 130 objects loaned from the BM
Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan, which
houses the largest collection of Egyptian artefacts
outside Egypt, from the Neolithic period (about
10,000 bc) to the 12 century ad. In partnership
with the BM, the show was curated by the Great
North Museum, the first of six UK venues. It
attracted 55,000 visitors in 21 days in Newcastle,
with a final attendance of 155,000.
The next venue was surprisingly different.
Selected by competition to find a museum where
the show might have the greatest impact locally,
the much smaller Dorset County Museum
was transformed by the show. It attracted new
funding and sponsorship, increased its press
coverage, and was able to improve its building.
Visitor numbers rose from 6000 to over 26,000,
with spending in the museum rising by 520%. ‘It
has had a long-term impact on us,’ said executive
director Jon Murden, ‘raising our standards and
. . . our profile and we very grateful to the British
Museum.’
The artefacts also featured in the Sunday
Express as they were being safely packed in the
BM before heading off on tour. Pharaoh: King of
Egypt continues to Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow
and Bristol.
Touring the collection
The BM exhibition
Pharaoh: King of Egypt
helped to raise the public
profile of the Dorset
County Museum.
India programme
A new cultural leadership
scheme saw participants
from India working with
BM staff in Delhi, London
and Mumbai. It was
launched in Delhi with BM
Director Neil MacGregor
and Jawhar Sircar,
Secretary of the Indian
Ministry of Culture.
The BM maintains ties across the globe.
Interpreting and using the collection
internationally is part of its cultural project to
exchange ideas and expertise worldwide. Work
abroad extends to sharing skills with other
countries, supporting their cultural work, lending
objects, touring exhibitions and undertaking
archaeological research.
Masterclasses for Future
Leaders in Indian Museums
In January 2012, in partnership with India’s
Ministry of Culture and National Culture
Fund, the BM launched a cultural leadership
programme. Twenty participants from across
India were selected for intensive training with BM
staff, covering the range of museum leadership
skills needed today – from strategic planning
and change management to conservation and
display. The three modules in Delhi, London and
Mumbai will aim to develop future leaders in the
museum sector, capable of achieving high cultural
impact (with the various social and economic
benefits that may bring) in their local areas.
BM ties with India are longstanding, and
include British Academy-funded research into
the palace and royal city of Bhojpur founded by
King Boja in central India in the 11th century.
A separate project with the Indian Ministry of
Culture, V&A and British Library is putting
information online about the collections of
‘Company’ paintings – watercolours and
drawings, mostly from the 19th century,
produced by Indian artists for European patrons.
Projects with India are just some of the many
international training and research partnerships
worldwide. A staff exchange with the Shanghai
Museum saw a visiting curator work with a
BM curator and conservators to take rubbings
from ancient Chinese bronzes in the BM, while
a memorandum of understanding signed in
December 2011 with the National Museum of
Denmark and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek saw
over 100 scientists and conservators visit the BM
to form a unique research consortium combining
medieval history, classical archaeology, scientific
research and conservation.
International Training Programme
‘I was amazed by how small ideas can be used to
fundraise,’ wrote Kenyan curator Sahara Dahir
Ibrahim. ‘For example, the butterfly exhibition
at the Great North Museum in Newcastle, where
people will pay donations and have their names
on butterfly drawings put on the walls. I have
introduced a similar initiative in Nairobi.’
The BM’s highly successful International
Training Programme, funded by a range of

50 The British Museum Review 2011/12 51 Section Heading
Sharing good practice
Having participated in the
BM’s International Training
Programme, Manisha
Abhay Nene starts up a
museum object-handling
desk in Mumbai.
private donors, invites museum professionals at
various stages of their careers to the UK. They
visit the BM and spend time at museums across
Britain. The goal is to expose them to the best,
most exciting museum practices today, from
technical skills in conservation to ideas for access
and learning, such as running object-handling
events for adults and children. Trainees also share
their own expertise with each other, and with
participating museums.
In 2011, 22 trainees from 11 countries took
part, from China, Egypt, India, Iraq, Kenya,
Nigeria, Palestine, Sudan, Turkey and (for the
first time) Afghanistan and Brazil. ‘It made
me think,’ wrote Jana Alaraj, ‘of how I can use
galleries, museums and exhibitions as a relief for
these people to . . . make them more happy and
relaxed and positive about their life in Palestine.’
Africa Programme
The BM is extensively involved with museums in
Africa. In June 2011 the BM’s Africa Programme
received a grant from the Getty Foundation
to deliver a three-year training project in
East Africa. Workshops in core museum skills
– collections care, preventive conservation,
exhibitions and education – will be offered to staff
in the national museums of Kenya, Tanzania
and Uganda. The aim is to create a network of
Getty East Africa
Programme
Charles Aongo from Kisumu
Museum, Kenya cleans
a gourd vessel during a
collections care workshop
in February 2012.
Masquerade figure,
Sierra Leone
The BM commissioned
this figure for an exhibition
celebrating 50 years
since Sierra Leone’s
independence.
(Height 1.6m)
dedicated museum professionals in both national
and regional museums. Delivered by a joint team
of BM staff and East African colleagues, the
programme will foster long-term commitment to
heritage in East Africa.
With support from the Ford Foundation, the
BM delivered workshops at the Armed Forces
Museum in Kumase, Ghana, and at the National
Museum Lagos, Nigeria. ‘Developing and Using
a Teaching Collection’ helped participants
to explore new techniques for engaging their
audiences with museum collections. Staff from 20
museums in Ghana and Nigeria participated and
each museum acquired a teaching collection as
part of the workshop activity.
Other activities in Africa included support for
an exhibition at the National Museum of Sierra
Leone to celebrate the country’s 50th anniversary
of independence, and a series of textile training
workshops for staff from across museums in
Nigeria to support the installation of a major
exhibition, African Lace, in collaboration with
Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and
Monuments and the Museum für Völkerkunde
in Vienna. BM Trustee and former Secretary-
General of the Commonwealth, Chief Anyaoku,
attended the opening of the exhibition in Lagos.

International exhibitions
The Body Beautiful in
Ancient Greece toured
to Japan and Mexico. The
exhibition was seen by
more than half a million
people.
53 International
Zayed National Museum
Recent finds are among
the exhibits planned for a
new national museum in
Abu Dhabi.
Middle East Museums
The Zayed National Museum (ZNM) will tell
the story of Abu Dhabi, the history of the United
Arab Emirates and the legacy of their founding
statesman, Sheikh Zayed. Part of the new
Saadiyat Island complex, ZNM is a completely
new museum, and the BM is advising on many
aspects of its operations, from collections and
acquisitions to gallery development and public
programming. Displays will include the latest
archaeology from the region, where recent finds
have proved groundbreaking. Reported in the
journal Science, stone tools found at Jebel Faya
provide the earliest evidence for the migration of
modern humans out of Africa 125,000 years ago
and new evidence of a route via Arabia.
Other work in the region included support
for Iraq, where the Lakeside Palace is being
refurbished to house the Basra Museum; joint
research on Sasanian coins in the UAE and
Iran; and two UNESCO projects: cataloguing
Islamic glass in the Suleymaniyah Museum
in Iraqi Kurdistan, and meeting to discuss
the preservation of Libya’s cultural heritage,
including a conservation project at the museum
in Cyrene.
Splendours of Mesopotamia
The exhibition in the UAE drew
an enthusiastic response for
displays such as this gold
drinking cup of 2500 bc.
(Height 14 cm)
Overseas Exhibitions and Loans
BM touring exhibitions allow people around
the world to see the collection. The Body Beautiful
in Ancient Greece opened in Japan on the day of
earthquake. In spite of the tragedy the BM and
its Japanese partners worked together to ensure
the exhibition could go ahead. Over 400,000
visitors came to the displays of Greek and Roman
artefacts in Kobe and Tokyo. The exhibition then
travelled to Mexico City, where press coverage
praised ‘these masterworks . . . living creations
capable of transforming the viewer’.
Fantastic Creatures took griffins, sphinxes,
unicorns and other mythical creatures from
different cultures to Korea and China. Splendours
of Mesopotamia, the first of three major exhibitions
leading up to the opening of the Zayed National
Museum, was the most popular exhibition ever
held in the United Arab Emirates. To mark
the meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of
Government, the BM sent Extraordinary Stories:
Commonwealth Objects from the British Museum to the
Western Australian Museum in Perth. Displays
included a 1.8 million-year-old handaxe, a 12thcentury
sculpture of Ganesha from India, and a
carved bronze Ife head from Nigeria.
The BM sent 1294 objects to 102 venues
outside the UK in 2011/12. International loans
included an ink and wash drawing by Rubens of

54 The British Museum Review 2011/12
Excavating in Turkey
Archaeologists examine
a Neolithic burial at
Domuztepe.
Venus and Adonis (Jerusalem); a Mayan carving
of a blood-letting rite (Toronto); a limestone head
of 50–30 bc from Italy of a woman resembling
Cleopatra (Copenhagen); and a wood carving
of a king from Mushenge in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (New York). Most widely
reported of the year’s loans was the return of the
Cyrus Cylinder from Iran. As Jon Snow reported
on his Channel 4 blog: ‘the entire cultural
exchange has proved vastly important . . .
The Cyrus Cylinder has ignited a new debate in
Iran about the country’s culture and history.’
Freshly Dug and on to Facebook
BM staff engage in fieldwork across the globe
– from South America to north Wales, the Far
East to Sudan’s Amara West. In Britain the
earliest records of human life are being excavated
from the Channel Islands to Ffynnon Beuno
in Wales, where archaeologists found the first
evidence since 1912 for the Aurignacian (Upper
Paleolithic) culture in Britain, 40,000 to 28,000
years ago.
Further afield, excavations in south-east
Turkey at the Neolithic site of Domuztepe are
rewriting our understanding of the origins of the
first cities. Despite political and other issues in the
region, projects in Egypt and Sudan remained
active. BM staff explored decorated tombs at
Hagr Edfu and predynastic animal burials at an
Upper Egyptian cemetery at Hierakonpolis. In
northern Sudan, many sites are in peril from ten
planned new dams that will drown much of the
country’s archaeology. If funding can be found, a
programme of extensive rescue archaeology will
be pursued in these areas.
An interdisciplinary collaboration at Amara
West has thrown up fascinating finds. You could
follow the dig on the BM blog and some posts
were published on Facebook, a fitting platform to
expose the red-painted face of a newly discovered
coffin mask, shown with large yellow earrings
and a black wig. The painted mask dates to
1250–1070 bc, when Egypt ruled Nubia.
Finds at Amara West
In northern Sudan,
archaeologists discovered
a painted coffin mask of
1250–1070 bc (shown
left, with a modern
rendering below).
Naukratis research
When this ancient Greek
trading post in Egypt
was first excavated, finds
included this female figure,
donated to the BM in
1886. (Height 13 cm)

57 International
From Herodotus to Hard Drives
One of the most fertile encounters of the ancient
world was that between Egypt and Greece,
which shaped European culture, but equally left
its mark on northern Africa. At the heart of this
exchange was the Greek trading post of Naukratis
in the Nile Delta, a gateway for cross-cultural
contact from the 7th century bc – mentioned in
Herodotus and famously termed the Hong Kong
of Ancient Egypt by its 19th-century excavator,
Flinders Petrie.
Petrie’s excavations were pioneering, but his
interpretation was incomplete. The finds were
soon distributed over more than 70 collections
worldwide, making it virtually impossible to
gain an overview of the site or to re-evaluate his
conclusions. As a result, Naukratis remains
poorly understood to this day.
The BM’s Naukratis Project aims at last to
unlock the enormous potential of this site. The
task is not easy: 19th-century excavation diaries
and letters have to be located and deciphered,
and 15,000 objects – now distributed from Bristol
to Greenock, from Cairo to Kyoto – have to
be studied. But the effort will rescue one of the
most important archaeological assemblages of
the ancient world, subjecting it to a 21st-century
methodological reassessment, and making it
relevant and usable for generations to come.
Revisiting past
excavations
Researchers are
consulting a wide
range of materials
to reassemble the
dispersed finds from
Naukratis – from
archaeologist Flinders
Petrie’s 19th-century
notes to excavation
photographs such as
this one of 1899.
The project – its current phase funded by
the Leverhulme Trust and Shelby White–Leon
Levy Program for Archaeological Publications
– is truly interdisciplinary and international.
It involves Classicists and Egyptologists, a
collaboration with Durham University and
many scholars elsewhere, and partnerships with
museums on five continents. A programme of
scientific analyses supports the archaeological
and historical investigation. At the heart of the
project, and its most vital tool, is a database of
finds that will reunite, in the virtual space of the
internet, objects widely dispersed across the globe.
The database and other results of the research
will eventually be made available to a global
audience on the BM website.
Already, important results are emerging
from the research. The project has identified
‘stray’ finds in many a museum’s basement as
being from Naukratis, and reunited finds that fit
together. Contrary to common perception, there
is a surprisingly strong Egyptian element in the
site’s material culture. Previously overlooked,
largely due to early excavators discarding many
Egyptian objects and a Hellenocentric bias in
later scholarship, it suggests Naukratis had a
mixed Egyptian and Greek population who
probably intermarried from an early period.

BM benefactors
From the series Human
Tapestry (detail), 2011
This photocollage by
Sadegh Tirafkan imitates
the pattern of a Persian
carpet. The BM’s growing
collection of modern
Iranian art is generously
supported by Maryam
and Edward Eisler.
(97 x 151 cm)
Objects in focus
This popular series of
exhibits is sponsored by
the Asahi Shimbun.
Since the BM was founded in 1753, its collection
has been continually enriched by a wide range
of benefactors. The Museum’s supporters, like
its collection and visitors, come from all over the
world and their generosity enables the BM to
fulfil its international mission.
The American Friends of the British Museum
have supported many global projects and have
recently played an important role in securing
the acquisition of an important collection of
cylinder seals from the Middle East and a rare
male Cycladic figurine. The International
Training Programme, which welcomes museum
professionals from dozens of countries, is entirely
funded by donors. Their support ensures that
the BM becomes truly a museum of the world
by helping to create an international network of
highly trained future cultural leaders. The BM’s
new World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre
will support global loans and exhibitions and has
already attracted extraordinary benefaction.
The Museum is fortunate to have secured
support for its activities in London and
throughout the UK. This funding has come
from corporations, private individuals, trusts
and foundations. The Asahi Shimbun Objects in
Focus displays are a popular feature of the BM’s
exhibitions programme. The Museum’s work
with families and young audiences has received
59 BM benefactors
ongoing support from Samsung Electronics
through the Samsung Digital Discovery Centre.
Research on and care for the collection also
attracts vital funding. The Trustees are grateful
to the Leverhulme Trust and the Arts &
Humanities Research Council for research grants
which recognise the BM as a centre of excellence.
Major long-term commitments to funded research
posts were made possible by the Henry Ginsburg
Bequest and the Tabor Foundation. The Farjam
Curator of Islamic Art has been appointed, with
support from Dr Farhad Farjam. This year will
see work on Japanese ceramics funded by
Ms Claire Enders, Mr and Mrs William Arah
and Robert and Catherine White.
Other supporters give vital general funding
to the Museum. The British Museum Friends is
one of the fastest growing membership groups in
the UK arts sector. Over 40,000 Friends – whose
benefits include free entry to exhibitions – now
support the BM’s mission. The Global Partners
scheme has a number of benefits for the staff of
corporate members, as well as the opportunity
to entertain at the BM. Patrons are private
members who enjoy special ‘behind the scenes’
access and invitations. Some of the Museum’s
annual subscribers have an interest in adding to
particular aspects of the collection. The recently
launched Vollard Group supports the acquisition
of modern and contemporary works on paper,
as does the Contemporary and Modern Middle
Eastern Art Acquisitions Group, which recently
travelled with the BM curator to Dubai to
purchase new works. This growing community
of supporters underpins many aspects of the
work of the BM. A list of the Museum’s corporate
partners and philanthropic supporters appears at
the end of the BM Review (pp.65–7).

BM across the globe
A selection of
activities in 2011/12
1. MEXICO: Mexico City
The BM international exhibition
The Body Beautiful in Ancient
Greece includes this amphora of
530–520 bc depicting athletes. In
2011/12 over 550,000 people saw
the tour in Mexico and Japan.
4. SIERRA LEONE: Freetown
Projects in Africa included support
for a new display on Sierra Leone’s
colourful masquerade traditions.
Here, Krio artist Julius Parker
prepares initial drawings for a
masquerade mural.
2. NEW YORK: New York City
This Mushenge king from the
Democratic Republic of Congo was
shown at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in an exhibition on heroic
Africans – one of 1294 objects the
BM loaned overseas.
5. SUDAN: Dangeil
Recent fieldwork in partnership
with Sudan’s National Corporation
for Antiquities and Museums is
conserving a 1st century ad Amun
temple. Finds in the region have
included this torso of a Nubian king.
10. CHINA: Hong Kong
A Bengali dance mask was one of
150 Fantastic Creatures from the BM.
The special exhibition opened in
Hong Kong in January 2012. It was
seen beforehand in Ulsan, South
Korea by nearly 50,000 visitors.
3. DENMARK: Copenhagen
A new BM research consortium
has been set up with over 100
Danish scientists and conservators.
Major loans to Denmark included
this limestone head of a woman
resembling Cleopatra, 50–30 bc.
6. ISRAEL: Jerusalem
International loans included
Rubens’s Venus lamenting over the dead
Adonis, c.1612. Others ranged from
an Etruscan silver panel (displayed
in Leiden) to a Syrian mosque-lamp
(Houston).
61 BM across the globe
7. KENYA: Mombasa
The new Getty East Africa
Programme will see BM staff deliver
training with colleagues in Kenya,
Tanzania and Uganda. Recent
work in the region includes opening
improved collections stores.
11. JAPAN: Tokyo
This 18th-century kabuki print
shows an impoverished samurai
warrior. It was one of several BM
loans to an exhibition on the artist
Toshusai Sharaku held at the Tokyo
National Museum.
1
2
4
3
8. AFGHANISTAN: Kabul
The BM is facilitating the return
to Kabul of a 3rd-century buddha
stolen in 1992–4 from the National
Museum. Support for the region’s
culture included the BM’s Afghanistan
exhibition in London, seen by
125,000 people in 2011.
5
6
7
8
9
10
12
11
9. INDIA: Mumbai
Longstanding ties with India
expanded to include a training
programme in cultural leadership.
The courses for Indian museum staff
took place in Delhi, London and
Mumbai.
12. AUSTRALIA: Perth
Shown in Perth, Extraordinary Stories
from the British Museum used the
collection to display 1.8 million
years of artefacts from across the
Commonwealth. It included this
12th-century sculpture of Ganesha
from India.

62 The British Museum Review 2011/12 63 Section Heading
Ganesha, 12th century
The four-armed god
Ganesha holds a rosary,
his broken elephant tusk,
a dish of sweets and an
axe. The sculpture from
India was one of a group of
loans to Perth, Australia.
(89 x 51 cm)
64
64
65
67
69
74
79
Appendices
Trustees
Exhibitions
Supporters
Community groups
Staff
Volunteers
World loans

64 The British Museum Review 2011/12 65 Supporters
Trustees
Chief Emeka Anyaoku
GVCO, CON
Ms Karen Armstrong FRSL
Professor Sir Christopher
Bayly FBA, FRSL
Lord Broers of
Cambridge FREng, FRS
Sir Ronald Cohen
Mr Francis Finlay
Mr Niall FitzGerald KBE
(chairman)
Dame Liz Forgan DBE
Professor Clive Gamble
Ms Val Gooding CBE
(to December 2011)
Mr Antony Gormley
OBE, RA
Ms Bonnie Greer OBE
Ms Penny Hughes CBE
Sir George Iacobescu
CBE
Dr Olga Kennard OBE,
FRS (to March 2012)
Baroness Kennedy of the
Shaws QC, FRSA
Sir Richard Lambert
(to June 2011)
Mrs Edmée Leventis
(to November 2011)
Mr John Micklethwait
(from August 2011)
Mr David Norgrove
(to March 2012)
Professor Amartya Sen CH
Sir Martin Sorrell
(from April 2011)
Lord Stern of Brentford
Kt, FBA
Baroness Wheatcroft of
Blackheath
Exhibitions
Afghanistan: Crossroads
of the Ancient World
3 March to 17 July 2011
Supported by Bank of America
Merrill Lynch
Treasures of Heaven:
Saints, Relics and
Devotion in Medieval
Europe
23 June to
9 October 2011
Sponsored by John Studzinski
In association with William
and Judith Bollinger,
Singapore; Betsy and Jack
Ryan; Howard and Roberta
Ahmanson; and The Hintze
Family Charitable Foundation
Grayson Perry: The
Tomb of the Unknown
Craftsman
6 October 2011 to
26 February 2012
Supported by AlixPartners,
with Louis Vuitton
Hajj: Journey to the
Heart of Islam
26 January to
15 April 2012
HSBC Amanah has supported
the exhibition’s international
reach outside the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia
Picasso to Julie Mehretu:
Modern Drawings from
the BM Collection
7 October 2010 to
25 April 2011
Images and Sacred
Texts: Buddhism across
Asia
14 October 2010 to
3 April 2011
Traditional Jewellery and
Dress from the Balkans
21 January to
11 September 2011
Adornment and Identity:
Jewellery and Costume
from Oman
21 January to
11 September 2011
Supported by BP
Eric Gill: Public and
Private Art
10 February to
7 August 2011
Modern Syrian Art at
the BM
4 July 2011 to
9 January 2012
The Cost of Living in
Roman and Modern
Britain
11 August 2011 to
15 April 2012
Mine to Medals: The
London 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games
Medals
19 September 2011 to
9 September 2012
Supported by Rio Tinto
Part of the London 2012
Cultural Olympiad
Manga at the BM:
Drawings by Hoshino
Yukinobu
29 September 2011 to
9 April 2012
Landscape, Heroes
and Folktales: German
Romantic Prints and
Drawings
29 September 2011 to
9 April 2012
Supported by the Samuel H.
Kress Foundation
Australian Season
Supported by Rio Tinto
Australia Landscape:
Kew at the British
Museum
21 April to
16 October 2011
Out of Australia: Prints
and Drawings from
Sidney Nolan to Rover
Thomas
26 May to
11 September 2011
Baskets and Belonging:
Indigenous Australian
Histories
26 May to
11 September 2011
Objects in Focus:
The Asahi Shimbun
Displays
Sikh Fortress Turban
17 February to
17 April 2011
Xu Bing: Background
Story 7
12 May to
10 July 2011
Crocodile Dance Mask
from the Torres Strait
Islands
11 August to
16 October 2011
Hokusai’s Great Wave
3 November 2011 to
8 January 2012
Sacred Souvenir:
A Model of the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre
2 February to
6 May 2012
Supporters
The Trustees and the
Director would like to
thank the following for
their encouragement,
support and advice
during the period
1 April 2011 to
31 March 2012
Aall Foundation
Dr Hossam Abdallah and
Dr Madiha Elsawi
Mr John W. Adams
Mr Mohammed Afkhami
HH Princess Catherine
Aga Khan
Mr and Mrs Marcus
Agius
Mr and Mrs Howard
Ahmanson
Mr and Mrs Vahid
Alaghband
AlixPartners
Allen & Company LLC
Selwyn and Ellie Alleyne
Basma Al-Sulaiman
Alta Advisers Ltd
The Altajir Trust
American Express
Foundation
The American Friends of
the British Museum
American Research
Center in Egypt
Dr Zarathustra J. Amrolia
Ian and Helen Andrews
Mr and Mrs William Arah
ArcelorMittal
Archeology 4 all
Sule and Ahmet Arinc
The Art Fund
Ms Tina Arth and
Mr Darrell Baker
Arts and Humanities
Research Council
The Asahi Shimbun
Mr Charles Asprey
Mr Vladimijr Attard
Ms Jane Attias
Mr Alain Aubry
The Aurelius Charitable
Trust
Neil and Kay Austin
The Estate of
Francis Bacon
Mr Edward D. Baker III
Baker & McKenzie LLP
The Band Trust
Mr Vindi Banga
Bank of America Merrill
Lynch
Barakat Trust
Juliet Bareau
Graham and Joanna
Barker
Jean-Luc Baroni Ltd
Dominic Barton
Nada Bayoud and
Andrew Wynn
BBVA Corporate
Investment Banking
The Duke and Duchess of
Beaufort
Ingrid and Tom Beazley
Bei Shan Tang
Foundation
Richard Beleson and
Kim Lam Beleson
Fund
BG Group
David Billings and
Rebecca Goodhart
The Blackstone Group
Bloomberg LP
The Hon. Nigel
Boardman
Mr and Mrs Norman
Bobins
Mrs Raya Bohsali and
Mr Karim Motaal
William and Judith
Bollinger, Singapore
The Charlotte Bonham-
Carter Charitable
Trust
Monsieur Jean A. Bonna
Charles and Léonie
Booth-Clibborn
Mr and Mrs David B.
Borthwick
Mrs Milly Bowie
Craig N. Boyer
BP
W. Mark Brady
Miss Kate Braine
David Brener
Mrs Dorothy Tucker
Brilliant
The British Academy
British Egyptian Society
British Institute of Persian
Studies
The British Museum
Friends
Mr and Mrs Charles
Brown
Lady Brownlie
Mrs Anne Burton
Cairns Charitable Trust
Fiona Campbell
Francisco Capelo
William Carey
Sir Roger and Lady Carr
Charina Endowment
Fund
Lillian and Lincoln Chin
CHK Charities Limited
Ida Chow
Christie’s
Mrs Anne Christopherson
Citi
Tim and Caroline Clark
The Clothworkers’
Foundation
Stephen Cohen
The John S Cohen
Foundation
The R and S Cohen
Foundation
Mr and Mrs Paul Collins
Mr Timothy C. Collins
Colnaghi
John Cook
Ms Elizabeth Coombs
Juan R. Corbella
Paul and Tamie
Cornwall-Jones
Mr and Mrs Kenneth
Costa
The late Penelope
Crutchfield
The Curtain Foundation
Mr and Mrs R.L.
Dalladay
Mr Peter Dart
Gwendoline, The
Countess of
Dartmouth
Mrs Michel David-Weill
Lady Linda Davies
DCMS Strategic
Commissioning:
National/Regional
Partnerships
DCMS Wolfson
Museums and Galleries
Improvement Fund
Mr Patrice de Camaret
Richard de Unger
Ms Polly Devlin OBE
Sir Harry and Lady
Djanogly
The Dorset Foundation
Dr W.J.R. Dreesmann
Mr and Mrs Jan du Plessis
Mr Andy Duncan
Mr and Mrs James A.
Duncan
Economic History Society
Mr James Ede
Mr and Mrs Nicholas
Egon
Lord and Lady Egremont
Saeb and Fariba Eigner
Maryam and Edward
Eisler
Diana and Frederick
Elghanayan
Dr Ahmed El-Mokadem
Claire Enders
Jane England
English Heritage
Ernst & Young
Giuseppe Eskenazi
James Faber and Richard
Day
William Buller Fagg
Charitable Trust
Esmée Fairbairn
Foundation
Dr Farhad Farjam
Mrs Susan Farmer
Mr Richard Farnhill
John Fenwick
Fidelity UK Foundation
Jan Piet Filedt Kok
Mr Francis Finlay
Dr Marjorie Fisher
Niall and Ingrid
FitzGerald
Mrs Barbara Fleischman
Ms Martha Fleischman
Sam Fogg
Ford Foundation

66 The British Museum Review 2011/12 67 Supporters / Community groups
Mrs Kathleen Kin-Yue Fu
Mr Noboru Fujinuma
Mr Jonathan Gaisman
The Gamboges Fine Art
Society
Johanna and Leslie
Garfield
Sir Victor and Lady
Garland
The Garnett Charitable
Trust
David Gaventa
The Robert Gavron
Charitable Trust
The Getty Foundation
J Paul Getty Jr Charitable
Trust
Ms Raghida Ghandour
and the late Basil Al-
Rahim
Bita Ghezelayagh
The late Dr Henry
Ginsburg
Patricia and John
Glasswell
Mme Alice Goldet
Israel Goldman
Goldman Sachs
International
The Horace W.
Goldsmith Foundation
Ms Val Gooding and Mr
Crawford MacDonald
Sir Nicholas and Lady
Goodison
David Gordon
Stephen Gosztony
Mr Andrew Green
Sarah and Gerard Griffin
Antony Griffiths
Lawrence and Lucy
Guffey
Mr and Mrs Roderick
Hall
Dr Martin Halusa
The Helen Hamlyn Trust
Sir Ewan and Lady
Harper
Colin Harrison
The Headley Trust
Mr Thomas C. Heagy
Mr and Mrs Christoph
Henkel
Heritage Lottery Fund
Lady Heseltine
The Hintze Family
Charitable Foundation
Mr Robert Hoehn
Dr Alex Hooi and Keir
McGuinness
Horizon Asset Limited
Sir Joseph Hotung
HSBC Amanah
ING Group
Mrs Leila Ingrams
The Institute for Aegean
Prehistory
The Institute of
Bioarchaeology
Iran Heritage Foundation
Rose Issa
The late Dr Roger Jacobi
Sir Martin and Lady
Jacomb
Mr Moez and Dr Nadia
Jamal
Lily Jencks
Stanley Thomas Johnson
Foundation
Sir Ian Johnston
Paul and Ellen Josefowitz
JTI Group
Jonathan and Ute Kagan
Howard Karshan and
Linda Karshan
William Kentridge
The Hon. Lady Keswick
Mr and Mrs Roger
Keverne
Princess Jeet Nabha
Khemka
Mr Nand Khemka
The Kilfinan Trust
David Killick
James and Clare Kirkman
Yvonne Koerfer
Korean Air
The Neil Kreitman
Foundation
Nirmalya Kumar
Norman A. Kurland and
Deborah A. David
David Lachenmann,
Zurich
Steven Larcombe and
Sonya Leydecker
Thomas and Gianna
Le Claire
The Leathersellers’
Company Charitable
Fund
Christopher Lennox-Boyd
David Leventhal
The A.G. Leventis
Foundation
The Constantine Leventis
Family
Leventis Overseas Ltd
Lady Lever
The Leverhulme Trust
Christian Levett and
Mougins Museum of
Classical Art
Leon Levy Foundation
The late Olive Lewis
Mr Lowell Libson
The Linbury Trust
Mr David Lindsell
Linklaters LLP
Mr Aidan Lisser
Kai-Yin Lo
William Lock
London Topographical
Society
Louis Vuitton
Mark and Liza Loveday
Janine Luke in honour
of Melvin R. Seiden
and Hugo Chapman
John Lyon’s Charity
Miss Louisa Macmillan
Magic of Persia
Mr Conor Mahony
Nicholas and Sarah
Mahony
Angus and Margaret
Maitland
The late Alan Mann
Mr Richard Mansell-
Jones Esq.
Howard S. Marks
The Marsh Christian
Trust
Emmanuel and Laurie
Marty de Cambiaire
Harriett and Michael
Maunsell
Omar Mazhar
Jamie McAlpine
Joseph F. McCrindle
Foundation
E.J. McFadden
The Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation
The Paul Mellon Centre
for Studies in British
Art
Mr Christopher Mendez
Metabolic Studio, a direct
charitable activity
of the Annenberg
Foundation
Carol and Robin
Michaelson
Norma and Selwyn
Midgen
Professor Arthur R. Miller
The Millichope
Foundation
Ministry of Tourism of
the Sultanate of Oman
The Monument Trust
Mark and Judy Moody-
Stuart
The Henry Moore
Foundation
Glen Moreno
Morgan Stanley
Miles Morland
Mrs Judith Morris
Frederick Mulder
Shigeru and Noriko
Myojin
National Heritage
Memorial Fund
Mr Jacques Neveu
News Corporation
The Newton Charitable
Trust
Mr James B. Nicholson
Miss Diane Nixon
Lady Nolan
David and Jenny
Norgrove
North Street Trust
Mollie and John Julius
Norwich
HRH The Otunba
Adekunle Ojora OFR
CON
Richard and Amilia
Oldfield
Dick and Pam Olver
Stephen Ongpin
Jeffrey Onions QC and
Sally Onions
Kevin O’Sullivan
David Oxtoby
The late Mr John
Pachmayr
Mr David Paisey
Michael Palin
Simon and Midge Palley
Georgia Papageorge
Mr Hamish Parker
Drs John and Carolyn
Parker-Williams
The late Mr Robert B.
Partridge
Mr and Mrs Dalip Pathak
Mr Gavin Patterson
Mr Grayson Perry
Mr and Mrs Anthony
Pitt-Rivers
Mr Francis Plowden
Olga Polizzi
Barbara, Lady Poole
Carolyn and Stuart
Popham
Quintin and Elizabeth
Price
Dan and Karen Pritzker
Hubert Prouté
Ms Bambi Putnam
RA Associates
Maya and Ramzy
Rasamny
Dr John H. Rassweiler
Stiftung Ratjen
Lisbet Rausing and Peter
Baldwin
Mrs Joyce Reuben
Rio Tinto PLC
Mr Richard Rivers
John and Liz Robins
Barbara Paul Robinson
and Charles Raskob
Robinson
The E.S.G. Robinson
Charitable Trust
J.M. Rogers
The Rose Foundation
Mr and Mrs Benjamin
Rosen
Joseph Rosen Foundation
Frankie Rossi
The Dowager Viscountess
Rothermere
The Rothschild
Foundation
Royal Society
Martin Royalton-Kisch
Paul and Jill Ruddock
Dr Deanna Lee Rudgard
OBE
Ruhr-Universitat Bochum
Matthew Rutenberg
Betsy and Jack Ryan
Jeremy and John Sacher
Charitable Trust
The Michael Harry
Sacher Charitable
Trust
Dr Raymond Sackler and
Mrs Beverly Sackler
Sainsbury Institute for the
Study of Japanese Arts
and Cultures (SISJAC)
Salomon Oppenheimer
Philanthropic
Foundation
Sally and Anthony Salz
Samsung Electronics
SAS UK
The Lord Sassoon
The Trustees of the Saudi
Equestrian Fund
School of Oriental and
African Studies
Julia Schottlander
Nicolas Schwed
Mr and Mrs Ian Sellars
Dr Genshitsu Sen
James and Joan Shapiro
Ms Priscylla S.C. Shaw
Ms Julia Simmons
Emilia A. Simonelli
The late Douglas Slatter
Ms Niki Smith
Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP
The Sosland Family
Sotheby’s Europe
The Stanley Foundation
Sir Hugh and Lady
Stevenson
John J. Studzinski CBE
Mr and Mrs Edward
Studzinski
Mrs Maria Sukkar
The Sumitomo
Foundation
Virginia Surtees
Patrick Syz
Tabor Foundation
The Lady Juliet Tadgell
Mrs Toshiko Taira
Mr and Mrs John Talbot
Mrs Basak Tarman
Thames Wharf Charity
The Thaw Charitable
Trust
Thomson Reuters
Corporation
Mr and Mrs Melvin
Tillman
Mr and Mrs David M.
Tobey
Toshiba International
Foundation
Mrs Toshiko Taira
Laura and Barry
Townsley
Lord and Lady Tugendhat
Berna and Tolga Tuglular
Mr Abdulaziz Turki
John and Ann Tusa
University of Leicester
University of London
Cyrus and Priya
Vandrevala
Victoria Miro Gallery
The Vivmar Foundation
The Marie-Louise von
Motesiczky Charitable
Trust
Mr Robin Vousden
Rupert Wace Esq.
The Charles Wallace
India Trust
Bruno Wang
The Warburg Pincus
Foundation
Sir Siegmund Warburg’s
Voluntary Settlement
Nadia Wellisz
The Garfield Weston
Foundation
George and Patti White
Robert and Catherine
White
Mr Stewart E. White
Malcolm Wiener
Reba and Dave Williams
The Williams Charitable
Trust
Dr Catherine Wills
The Wolfson Foundation
Mrs Patricia S. Wolfston
Mrs Jayne Wrightsman
OBE
Dr Joel P. Wyler
Xiling Group
Virginia Sun Yee
Mr Brian D. Young and
Ms Katherine Ashton
Young
and those donors
who wish to remain
anonymous
Community groups
BM outreach included
work with the following
groups in 2011/12
1a ARTS
1A Children’s Centre
ACDiversity
Action on Hearing Loss
Acton Iranian Library
Afghan Aid
Afghan Association of
London
Afghan Islamic Cultural
Centre
Afghan Poverty Relief
Afghanistan and Central
Asian Association
Africa Advocacy
Foundation
Africa Foundation Stone
African Families
Association
Age UK Camden
Akademi
Al-Hijra Somali
Community
Association
Al-Isharah
Alone in London
Alsen Day Centre
Alzheimer’s Society
An Nisa
Anglo Ethiopian society
Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail
Anti-Slavery International
Arts Westminster
Asamai Cultural Trust
Asian Music Circuit

68 The British Museum Review 2011/12 69 Community groups / Staff
Asian Women’s Resource
Centre
Association of British
Hujjaj UK
Barnet Refugee and
Asylum Seeker
Support
Barnet Somali
Community
Beats of Polynesia
Bede House
Belief in Bow
Bengali Workers
Association
Bishop Ho Ming Wah
Association
Black Cultural Archives
Black Elderly Group
Southwark
Black History Month
Black Training Enterprise
Group
Bloomsbury Association
Bloomsbury Conservation
Area Advisory
Committee
Bloomsbury Central
Baptist Church
Boabab Centre
Brent Multi-Faith Forum
Brent Young Carers
Brick Lane Jamme Masjid
Trust
Bridge Project
British Afghan Women’s
Society
British Somali
Community Centre
Buddhist Society
Bury Place Residents
Association
Calabash Centre
Calthorpe Community
Garden
Camberwell College of
Art
Camden Adult and
Community Learning
Camden Carers
Camden Chinese
Community Centre
Camden Civic Society
Camden Garden Centre
Camden
Intergenerational
Network
Camden LGBT Forum
Camden Somali Culture
Centre
Capital Arts
CarAF Centre
Cardboard Citizens
Casa
Cast Women
Castlehaven Community
Association
Chelsea Pensioners
Chinese Association of
Tower Hamlets
Chinese Information and
Advice Centre
Chinese Mental Health
Association
Churches Together in
England
City and Islington College
City Gateway
City Lit
Clapton Library
Claremont Project: Arts
for Life
Connection at St Martins
Confraternity of St James
Consolata Missionary
Sisters
ContinYou
CoolTan Arts
Coram
Council of British Hajjis
Crisis
Croydon BME Forum
Disability in Camden
Drovers Day Centre
East London Mosque and
London Muslim
Centre
Edgware and District
Reform Synagogue
Elfrida Society
Enfield Caribbean
Association
Epilepsy Action in
London
Equiano Society
Esforal
Ethiopian Church
Ethiopian Community in
Britain
Evelyn Oldfield Centre
Faiths Forum for London
Fitzrovia Community
Centre
Fitzrovia Neighbourhood
Association
Friends of Argyle Square
Friends of Bloomsbury
Square
Friends of Russell Square
Friends of Tavistock
Square
Gordon Mansions
Residents Association
Great Croft Resource
Centre
Great Ormond Street
Hospital
Greater London Forum
for Older People
Hackney Community
College
Hanway Place Residents
Association
Haringey Age UK
Haringey Young Carers
Healthy Communities
Camden
Helen Bamber
Foundation
Henderson Court Age
UK
Holborn Community
Association
Holborn Library
Holborn Police Station
Holy Cross Centre
Homestart Camden
Hopscotch Asian
Women’s Centre
Hounslow Friends of
Faith
inmidtown
Iranian Association
Iranian Community
Centre
Iraq in Common
Iraqi Association
IRMO – Indo-American
Refugee and Migrant
Organisation
IROKO Theatre
Company
Islamic Cultural Centre
London Central Mosque
Islington Chinese
Association
Islington Islamic Centre
Islington Mind
Islington Somali Banadir
Association
KCB Chadswell Healthy
Living Centre
King’s Cross Brunswick
Neighbourhood
Association
Keenagers – Chorleywood
Kentish Town
Community Centre
Kilburn Youth Centre
Kiran Project
Kingsgate Resource
Centre
Lambeth City Learning
Centre
Lambeth Somali
Community
Latin America Disabled
People’s Project
Latin American Elderly
Project
Latin American Golden
Years
LGBT History Month
Lismore Circus
Community Wood
London Chinese
Community Centre
London Irish Centre
London Irish Women’s
Centre
London NHS Foundation
Trust
Lumen United Reform
Church
Mary Ward Centre
Mayfield House Day
Mela Committee Member
Migrants Resource Centre
Mind in Camden
Modernisation Initiative –
End of Life Care
Mosaic LGBT Youth
Centre
Muslim Association of
Nigeria
New Horizons Youth
Centre
Newham Mental Health
Services
Ngati Ranana – London
Maori Club
North London Interfaith
Open Age – Churchill
Hub
Origin Time Bank
Paiwand
Pakistan Community
Centre
Pan Intercultural Arts
Play Service, Camden
PRAXIS
Primrose Hill Community
Association
Princess Royal Trust for
Carers
Prison Advice and Care
Trust
Quakers in Britain
Queen’s Park Library
RAAD
RAPAR
Redbridge College
Refugee Council
Refugee Women’s
Association
Refugee Youth Project
RSVP Camden Network
Roehampton University
Rosetta Arts Centre
Rosetta Life
Rotary Club of Streatham
Set Fashion Free
SHP – Preventing
Homelessness
Sikh Education Council
SIMBA
Smart Network
Society of Afghan
Residents in the UK
Soho Family Centre
Solace Women’s Aid
South London Somali
Community
Southwark College
Southwark Day Centre
for Asylum Seekers
Southwark Muslim
Women’s Association
SOVA
St Ethelburga’s
St Giles-in-the-Fields
St Joseph’s Hospice
St Mungo’s
St Pancras Church Euston
Stratford Epilepsy Action
Stroke Association
Sudbury Neighbourhood
Centre
Surma Community
Centre
Swadhinata Trust
Swiss Cottage Library
Sydenham Gardens
Tallo
TBG Learning
Thames Reach
Thames Valley University
Third Age Project
Three Faiths Forum
Thresholds Centre
Tower Hamlets African &
Caribbean Mental
Health Organisation
Tower Hamlets College
UCL Hospital
Ugandan Community
Group
UK Lesbian & Gay
Immigration Group
UK Punjab Heritage
Association
UK Turkish Islamic
Centre
Voluntary Action Camden
West Euston Time Bank
West Hampstead
Women’s Centre
Westminster Kingsway
College
Witley Court Residents
Association
Womankind
Working Men’s College
Youth Factor
Staff
The Trustees and the
Director would like
to thank all staff and
volunteers for their
commitment and
invaluable contribution
to the BM
M. Abdalla
R. Abdy
P. Abeijon-Diaz
G. Abeshin
D. Abiola
P. Ackah
S. Ackermann
E. Adams
W. Adamson
S. Addison
H. Adrados
D. Agar
B. Ager
J. Agius
A. Aguerre
J. Agyekum
J. Ahmed
P. Ajogbe
L. Akbarnia
E. Aked
A. Akinlotan
F. Akinwande
V. Akpodono
A. Ali
C. Allen
D. Allen
G. Allen
R. Allen
S. Allen
B. Alsop
A. Amarteifio
J. Ambers
A. Amor
L. Amuge
J. Anderson
C. Angelo
D. Antoine
H. Arero
C. Arnold
L. Arnold
N. Ashton
I. Asmara
V. Atori
F. Attoh
P. Attwood
S. Aucott
S. Awolaja
J. Ayres
R. Ayres
P. Backett
N. Badcott
A. Baffour
H. Bahra
J.B. Baker
J.C. Baker
A. Baldwin
V. Baldwin
J. Ballard
I. Banasik
S. Bangura
C. Barker
G. Barlow
A. Barnes
A. Barnett
M. Barnett
S. Barrett
C. Barry
T. Barry
C. Barton
J. Barton
G. Bartrum
K. Bartyska
D. Barwick
A. Basham
A. Batanas Castillo
K. Bates
M. Bates
J. Batty
G. Bayes
D. Baylis
A. Beccia
S. Belasova
E. Belcher
A. Bell
E. Bell
M. Bellamy
O. Bellio
R. Bellu
C. Belson
P. Bence
E. Bennett
G. Benson
F. Benton
M. Bergamini
M. Bergeron
C. Berridge
J. Bescoby
B. Beynon

70 The British Museum Review 2011/12 71 Staff
C. Bianchi
J. Biggs
L. Birkett
K. Birkhoelzer
M. Birleson
D. Bishop
R. Bissonnet
J. Blackburn
P. Blackburn
R. Bland
T. Bloomfield
T. Blurton
K. Boaler
A. Bodart
M. Bojanowska
P. Bokil
E. Bolden
M. Bolt
L. Bolton
D. Bone
D. Booms
E. Booth
J. Boris
P. Borowiec
C. Boryczka
K. Botwe
H. Boulton
E. Bourguinon
C. Bowles
J. Bowring
R. Bracey
A. Brake
A. Breaks
L. Breaks
G. Brereton
P. Brewer
L. Brierley
A. Bright
K. Bristow
G. Brothers
J. Broughton
C. Brown
J. Brown
A. Brueton
S. Brumage
S. Brunning
J. Brunsendorf
J. Buchanan
R. Buchanan
D. Buck
P. Buck
J. Bull
C. Bullock
H. Bullock
I. Burch
P. Burger
A. Burnett
C. Burroughs
B. Burt
D. Butler
P. Byrne
S. Byrne
M. Cacho Casal
K. Caldwell
A. Calton
N. Camacho Parada
A. Cameron
C. Camp
G. Campbell
O. Campbell
D. Camurcuoglu
B. Canepa
J. Cannon
N. Capocci
P. Carley
X. Carmichael
G. Carrington
P. Carroll
S. Carroll
L. Carson
C. Cartwright
R. Cartwright
A. Carty
P. Casey
L. Castanhas
M. Cato
L. Celand
B. Chadwick
T. Chamberlain
L. Chambers
H. Chapman
I. Chapman
R. Chapman
P. Chatenay
W. Chen
K. Childs
S. Choy
M. Cinquegrani
F. Clairel
L. Clare
T. Clark
D. Clarke
S. Clarke
P. Clennell
J. Clift
M. Cock
P. Cockram
D. Cole
K. Coleman
C. Coles
C. Colia
A. Collier
P. Collins
S. Collins
C. Collinson
J. Conceicao
J. Conlon
G. Constantinou
M. Conway
B. Cook
J. Cook
O. Cooke
S. Coppel
H. Cornell
I. Cornwall-Jones
C. Costin
T. Coughlan
C. Coveney
D. Cowdrill
M. Cox
J. Coyle
B. Crerar
S. Crome
T. Crossley
P. Cruickshank
S. Crummy
J. Curtis
V. Curtis
H. Cutts
O. Dada
R. Dagnall
F. Daguio
E. Daly
P. Dann
G. Darnell
S. Datta
S. Davies
V. Davies
H. Davis
J.S. Davy
J.W. Davy
M. Dawson
R. Dawson
D. Day
S. de Chardon
R. Dean
H. Dean-Young
H. Delaunay
J. Deniran
P. Denne
E. Denness
A. Dennis
A. Dent
C. Denvir
A. Depta
J. Desborough
T. Deviese
L. Devoy
P. Di Meglio
R. Dinnis
S. Dodd
E. Dominic
D. Donnelly
C. Doolan
B. Dooley
P. Doolub
M. Dordoy
S. D’Orsi
T. Doubleday
A. Dowler
S. Doyal
A. Drago
S. Drew
X. Duffy
L. Duncan
H. Dunn
W. Dutfield
J. Dyer
C. Eagleton
C. Eardley
J. Eaton
M. Edgley
S. Edris
E. Edwards
J. Edwards
P. Edwards
S. Edwards
T. Efemine
S. O. Ekumwe
C. Elliott
G. Elliott
F. Ellis
I. Enemua
C. Entwistle
M. Erhuero
P. Ernest
E. Erol
M. Erraez
E. Errington
K. Eustace
D. Evans
V. Evans
M. Eve
C. Everitt
J. Fadiya
I. Fahy
J. Fara
I. Farah
C. Farge
J. Farley
S. Fasasi
S. Fatah
R. Faulkner
M. Fearon
S. Feeney
J. Feliciano
S. Fellache
A. Ferreira
M. Finch
I. Finkel
B. Finn
M. Firth
C.J. Fisher
C.R. Fisher
L. Fitton
A. Fitzpatrick
A. Fletcher
P. Fletcher
J. Flood
H. Flynn
R. Folkes
J. Forbes
B. Forde
K. Forrest
C. Forrow
A. Foti
R. Fournel
S. Fowler
D. Francis
D. Frank
S. Franklin
G. Frempong
R. Frith
C. Fromage
S. Frost
A. Fuller
A. Fullerlove
C. Gaggero
S. Gallagher
E. Galvin
L. Garavaglia
A. Garcia
C. Garcia Valencia
C. Garcia-Jane
E. Gardener
H. Gardiner
K. Gardiner
L. Gardner
A. Garrett
J. Garrity
T. Gavin
C. Gballe
R. George
E. Ghey
R. Gibson
D. Giles
S.P. Gill
S.W. Gill
S. Ginnerty
T. Glabus
D. Godfrey
K. Godfrey
J. Godman
K. Godwin
V. Goedluck
F. Goff
B. Gomes
A. Gomori
L. Gonzalez
P. Goodhead
D. Goodridge
N. Gordon
M. Goss
S. Gow
I. Gowar
T. Granger
A. Green
D. Green
R. Green
R.A. Green
S. Greetham
J. Greeves
A. Gregory
E. Gregory
A. Griffiths
N. Grimmer
F. Grisdale
M. Gross
R. Gseir
L. Guastella
A. Guiotto
P. Guzie
A. Hacke
A. Haft
S. Halil
S. Hall
J. Hamill
L. Harbord
A. Harnden
D. Harris
E. Harris
K. Harris
A. Harrison
G. Harrison
J. Harrison
L. Harrison
N. Harrison
J. Harrison-Hall
M. Harter
M. Harvey
K. Harvie
J. Hasell
M. Haswell
E. Hayes
M. Hayes
T. Haynes
P. Heary
P. Hegely
S. Hegley
B. Helgestad
S. Hemming
J. Henderson
M. Hercules
D. Herrera
S. Hewing
K. Hibberd
C. Higgitt
P. Higgs
J.D. Hill
F. Hillier
V. Hill-Patrick
M. Hinton
S. Hirschmann
S. Hitchman
C. Hoare
K. Hoare
R. Hobbs
T. Hockenhull
M. Hockey
D. Hogan
L. Hogan
J. Holebrook
G. Hollington
A. Hollis
C. Holmes
S. Holmes
J. Hood
D. Hook
J. Hosler
B. Houlton
C. House
M. Hovezak
G. Howard-Evans
M. Howell
C. Howitt
D. Hubbard
J. Hudson
K. Hudson
S. Hughes
L. Humphries
C. Hunt
J. Hunt
E. Hunter
S. Hunter Dodsworth
D. Hurn
S. Hussein
K. Hussey
T. Hutchinson
T. Hutt
P. Hyacienth
C. Hyypia
C. Ingham
A. Ioannou
R. Jackson
D. Jacobs
R. Jada
S. Jadhav
S. Jameson
P. Janis
J. Jegede
P. Jell
A. Jenkins
I. Jenkins
M. Jenkins
N. Jeyasingam
S. Jillings
A. Johansen
E. Johnson
K.A. Johnson
K.B. Johnson
R. Johnson
S. Johnston
R. Johnstone
E. Jones
H. Jones
I. Jones
J. Jones
M.H. Jones
M.L. Jones
W. Jones
J. Joy
E. Judge
A. Kaossa
M. Karasudani
I. Kaye
M. Keable
I. Keen
K. Kelland
R. Kelleher
A. Kelly
D. Kelly
E. Kelly

72 The British Museum Review 2011/12 73 Staff
E.E. Kelly
N. Kendall
I. Kerslake
P. Kevin
C. Kewell
Q. Khan
T. Khazanavicius
P. Khera
T. Kiely
N. Kilden
A. Kill
J. King
E. Kingham
S. Kinsella
M. Kirby
P. Kirkham
F. Kofidou
C. Korenberg
J. Kosek
C. Kost
R. Kwok
S. La Niece
N. Lacey
I. Laing
J. Larkin
A. Lavery
B. Law
A. Lawal
L. Lawrence
A. Lawson
C. Lazenby
A. Le Page
B. Leach
F. Leclere
N. Lee
M. Lehnert
I. Leins
D. Leopold
M. Leow
C. Lepetoukha
M. Letcher
R. Levis
E. Levy
M. Lewando
M. Lewis
M. Lewis
A. Liddle
D. Ling
J. Lister
S. Longair
J. Lota
K. Lovelock
K. Lowe
J. Lu
J. Lubikowski
A. Lukoszek
D. Lumbis
A. Lumley
L. Lunn
C. Luxford
R. Lyne-Pirkis
C. Lyons
P. Macdermid
R.N. MacGregor
L. MacIver
M.J. Mackle
L. Macmillan
P. Maddocks
J. Madni
J. Maggs
J. Mahmud
P. Main
C. Mak
M. Mancuso
S. Mann
S. Mannion
V. Marabini
M. Maree
C. Mari
E. Marino
M. Markowski
K. Marriott
A. Marsden
C. Marsden-Smith
J. Marsh
P. Marshall
K. Martin
E. Martins
T. Martyn
S. Marzinzik
F. Masih
P. Maskell
A. Matthewman
P. Matthews
A. Maude
H. Maxwell
N. Maynard
A. Mayne
X. Mazda
L. McCarthy
R. McConnachie
H. McConnell
M. Mcdonald
A. McDowall
C. McEwan
C. McGowan
P. McGrane
R. McKeown
N. McKinney
C. McMillan
E. McNamara
D. McNeff
R. McPake
C. McPhedran
A. Mcphee
A. Meek
N. Meeks
H. Melwani
C. Messenger
S. Mew
D. Meyler
M. Meyler
H. Michaelides
C. Michaelson
F. Miles
J. Miller
P. Miller
F. Mills
J. Milne
N. Mitchell
M. Mizumura
T. Mohammed
P. Moloney
S. Monck
A. Mongiatti
C. Monks
S. Montalti
B. Moore
T. Moorhead
M. Morgan
E. Moriarty
B. Morris
J. Morris
K. Morton
M. Mroczek
T. Munden
C. Munoz-Vilches
S. Naidorf
L. Navascues
R. Necci
M. Neilson
B. Nenk
N. Newbery
J. Newby
N. Newman
J. Newson
T. Ngo
D. Noden
E. Noel
C. Nolan
P. Nolan
E. Nueno
T. Nutting
C. Obidike
C. Obiora
S. O’Brien
A. Obude
E. O’Connell
S. O’Connell
S. O’Flaherty
J. Okorefe
U. Okwoli
H. Oladele
A. Oldham
D. Oldman
K. Oliver
S. Olweny
R. Onile-Ere
T. Opper
H. Orange
J. Orna-Ornstein
J. Osborne
T. Osborne
E. Osegi
G. Ososanya
I. Otite
J. Ould
C. Owada
C. Owen
D. Owen
R. Owen
R.M. Owen
C. Page
F. Pagliuso
M. Pagliuso
G. Pain
K. Pallaver
K. Panasiuk
H. Parkin
R. Parkinson
G. Parks
J. Parol
J. Paronjan
C. Parry
E. Passmore
N. Patalia
L. Patrick
B. Pauksztat
H. Payne
C. Peacock
P. Pearce
S. Peckham
M. Pena
E. Pendleton
L. Penrose
S. Penton
K. Perkins
H. Persaud
J. Peters
D. Pett
S. Pettit
S. Pewsey
D. Phan
L. Phillips
J. Phippard
G. Pickup
M. Pilbrow
D. Polak
M. Portelli
A. Porter
V. Porter
M. Portilla-Carus
E. Poulter
C. Power
M. Power
S. Power
S. Prentice
E. Preston
D. Price
J. Price
S. Priewe
D. Prudames
M. Pullan
L. Purseglove
S. Putchay
J. Qiu
M. Quevedo
N. Race
M. Ragonton
T. Rahman
S. Raikes
A. Ramanoop
W. Ramirez
J. Ramkalawon
G. Rao
J. Rayar
J. Rayner
S. Razmjou
P. Rea
J. Reading
S. Readings
J. Rees
L. Rees
A. Regent
M. Registe
A. Reid
G. Renshaw
I. Richardson
O. Rickman
K. Robbins
B. Roberts
E. Roberts
F. Roberts
P. Roberts
P.C. Roberts
C. Robinson
D. Robinson
J. Robinson
M. Rocha
A. Roche
N. Rode
P. Roe
K. Rogers
M. Rogers
C. Ronel
V. Ross
W. Ross
M. Rouse
M. Row
A. Rowbottom
E. Roy
C. Rubie
K. Rudduck
J. Rudoe
A. Rugheimer
P. Ruocco
J. Russell
H. Ryan
M. Ryan
P. Ryan
R. Saas
V. Saiz Gomez
A. Salvatici
J. Samuels
L. Sanchez
G. Sarge
D. Saunders
L. Saxton
G. Sbuttoni
L. Schooledge
M. Schützer-Weissmann
R. Scott
S. Scott
L. Seabra
M. Seabra
J. Seaman
J. Sellers
L. Service
S. Seton
D. Setsoafia
D. Sewell
V. Sewraj
M. Seymour
B. Shackle
A. Shapland
M. Sharma
H. Sharp
C. Sharp-Jones
A. Shaw
J. Shea
F. Sheales
F. Shearman
B. Shepherd
S. Shepherd
A. Shilcock
A. Shore
P. Shotton
D. Shrestha
C. da Silva
M. Simms
A. Simpson
St.J. Simpson
A. Sinclair
V. Singer
A. Sivakumar
B. Skelton
L. Slack
D. Slater
K. Sloan
J. Slough
M. Smirniou
A. Smith
D. Smith
G. Smith
L. Smith
R.A. Smith
R.J. Smith
S. Smith
V. Smithson
L. Snapes
R. Snipp
M. Solim
F. Songui
M. Spataro
N. Speakman
C. von Spee
A. Spence
A. Spencer
N. Spencer
S. Spencer
L. Sperring
C. Spring
T. Stableford
R. Stacey
P. Stacy
R. Stallard
A. Stanbury
V. Steele
R. Stevens
C. Stewart
S. Stinson
K. Stipala
R. Storrie
U. Strachan
J. Stribblehill
C. Stritter
E. Strudwick
J. Stuart
J. Suggitt
K. Sugiyama
G. Sukumaran
F. Suleman
S. Sullivan
J. Sunderland
J. Swaddling
M. Swaine
K. Swales
T. Sweek
R. Swift
C. Sykes
C. Sylvestre
T. Szrajber
A. Szulc-Bierdrawa
I. Tacq
N. Tallis
A. Tam
E. Taylor
I. Taylor
J. Taylor
J.H. Taylor
L. Taylor
R. Taylor
J. Teer
H. Tefery
N. Tefery
L. Teres
N. Thahab
A. Thomas
A.K. Thomas
C. Thomas
C.M. Thomas
R.D. Thomas
R.I. Thomas
D. Thompson
E. Thompson
C. Thorne
D. Thornton
M. Tillier
C. Tomlinson
S. Toogood
J. Toomey
K. Treacy

74 The British Museum Review 2011/12 75 Volunteers
A. Truscott
M. Tshimpanga
N. Tsuchiya
J. Tubb
J. Tucker
J. Tullett
P. Turnbull
K. Turner
V. Turner
J. Turquet Munton
B. Twining
J. Umpleby
R. Uprichard
A. Ure
C. Usher
E. Uwahemu
J. Vainovska
M. Van Bellegem
A. Van Camp
G. Varndell
J. Vasconcelos
B. Vekariya
E. Vila Llonch
A. Villing
M. Viscardi
A. Vitry
R. Wade
B. Wadhia
A. Wakefield
R. Wakeman
H. Walker
D. Walkling
D. Waller
R. Walters
I. Walton
P. Walton
H. Wang
M. Wang
Q. Wang
C. Ward
L. Ward
I. Warren
T. Watkins
P. Watling
M. Weaver
E. Webb
S. Webb
J. Weddup
H. Weeks
K. Welham
D. Welsby
D. Wengenroth
F. West
S. Westerby
T. Whatling
P. Wheatley
C. White
L. Whitehead
J. Whitson Cloud
J. Whittaker
J. Widlak
A. Wilk
J. Willey
A. Williams
C. Williams
D.G. Williams
D.J. Williams
H. Williams
J. Williams
P. Williams
S. Williams
D. Williamson
H. Williamson
M. Willis
B. Wills
I. Willson
C. Wilson
D. Wilson
E. Wilson
M. Wilson
S. Wilson
U. Wilson
R. Winton
R. Woff
R. Wojas
H. Wolfe
E. Wood
W. Wood
S. Woodhouse
R. Woollard
A. Woskett
D. Wraight
C. Wren
A. Wright
S. Wyles
C. Wyndham
C. Yates
M. Yeahya
E. York
I. Young
P. Young
N. Yousuf
M. Yule
Y. Zhang
L. Zimmer
Volunteers
J. Abrahamson
S. Ackermann
C. Adam
D. Adams
S. Adams
E. Addo
H. Afarssad
J. Agyekum
S. Ahmad
S. Aitken
R. Akama
Q. Al Abeed
G. Albano
K. Alexander
C. Alfonsin Barreiro
S. Algranti
R. Allen
E. Anderson
D. Andrews
S. Appleton Wyeth
J. Aquilina
A. Archer
M. Archibald
G. Ardito
M. Arichi
E. Armstrong
R. Ashton
C. Assing
V. Assis
K. Austin
N. Awais-Dean
A. Babaie
J. Bacon
D. Bailey
J. Baker
N. Baker
P. Baker
R. Baker
S. Bakrania
J. Baktis
M. Balcombe
M. Balfaqeeh
M. Bamford
B. Banwatt
S. Baqui
G. Barker
I. Barling
A. Barnard
K. Barnett
K. Barrett
S. Bartholomew
L. Barwell
L. Bastardoz
A. Beale
H. Beale
P. Beaumont
S. Bell
P. Bence
A. Bender
R. Bennett
G. Benson
C. Bent
D. Berenguer
F. Beresford
V. Bernardi
S. Berns
C. Bertazoni Martins
C. Bevan
E. Beyer
A. Bickleder
I. Bieniusa
K. Biggs
M. Bimson
M. Binder
P. Birch
A. Birk
A. Birss
R. Blackburn
H. Blackmore
C. Blackstone
N. Blaes
D. Blair
K. Blakey
A. Bliss
N. Blumenthal
A. Bokhari
R. Boome
A. Booth
J. Booth
A. Bosl
N. Bosscher
S. Boughton
A. Bounaix
H. Bourdillon
J. Boyce
E. Bradshaw
R. Bradshaw
V. Brady
A. Brand
S. Bridgford
A. Bridgwood
B. Brind
D. Broadhead
L. Brodie
D. Brostoff
A. Brown
W. Brown
R. Buckland
S. Burgstaller
J. Burnett
L. Bushnell
M. Bywater
J. Cabot
A. Caird
J. Campbell
F. Campbell
M. Candikova
M. Carey
N. Carless Unwin
O. Carpenter
C. Carss
M. Caygill
J. Chacon Fossey
J. Chambers
N. Chambers
I. Chapman
C. Chaudhary
M. Cheang
S. Cheche
D. Cheeseman
K. Chen
A. Chenevix Trench
I. Cheong
J. Cherry
N. Chiang
S. Chiesa
L. Chorekdjian
S. Choudree
N. Chow
A. Christophe
P. Christou
A. Cierpiol
B. Cifuentes
A. Clark
Y. Clarke
J. Cleary
L. Coates
B. Cockle
T. Cohen
E. Collett
D. Collon
B. Cook
E. Cooper
H. Cordell
S. Cornish
R. Corris
E. Cotsell
M. Coulthard
R. Cowell
P. Craddock
L. Crewe
S. Crewes
J. Cribb
R. Crockett
L. Cruickshanks
C. Cummings
M. Czarnynoga
L. da Costa
R. da Costa
J. Dale
A. Dallapiccola
J. Dalrymple
K. Daniels
V. Daniels
J. Darley
T. Davidowitz
W. Davies
R. Davis
J. Dawkins
C. Daws
J. Day
M. de Pascale
A. de Simone
H. Dean
G. Dempsey
S. Dempsey
S. Denham
K. Dillabough
M. Dillon
S. Dirksen
C. D’Mello
M. Dobson
E. Dolan
T. Dotchin
V. Dotchin
C. Doumet-Serhal
L. Douny
A. Dove
C. Dow
L. Dow
H. Doyle
C. Dragoni
I. Druce
I. Duijf
M. Dunbar
M. Dunlea
A. Dunne
B. Durrans
J. Durston
S. Dutton
M. Dybkowska
J. Dyer
A. Eastmond
R. Edmonds
J. Edwards
K. Elkin
B. Elliott
C. Elliott
L. Ellis
J. Engstrom
J. Erquicia-Imaz
E. Errington
T. Essor
M. Etheridge
A. Evans
P. Evans
O. Fairfax
I. Fairgrieve
H. Fancy
S. Farquharson
J. Feather
H. Feibusch
L. Felmingham
A. Ferreira
M. Field
C. Fisher
K. Fiske
I. Flaskerud
M. Fleetwood
R. Fletcher
C. Flood
D. Fonseka
L. Foster
L. Fox
T. Francis
A. Frantzis
M. Friday
N. Frost
S. Fung
E. Furman
N. Futamata
M. Galan Sanchez-Seco
C. Gamper
A. Gannon
A. Garcia Perez
C. Garcia-Jane
H. Gardiner
M. Gardner
A. Garnett
H. Garrett
B. Gavurin
E. Geijer
C. Gerstle
M. Ghany
P. Gibson
R. Gibson
Y. Gilbertson
M. Ginsberg
D. Given
J. Gladwyn
H. Glick
D. Godfrey
R. Goh
S. Gois
D. Goldberg
S. Goldberg
I. Goldman
R. Gomez Troyano
B. Gomez-Escobar
J. Gourvenec
J. Graham-Campbell
E. Gray
L. Gray
B. Greaves
B.L. Greaves
J. Green
S. Green
R. Greenberg
L. Greening
B. Greenley
M. Greenwood
L. Gregor Macgregor
J. Gregory
E. Greifenstein
C. Greig
P. Griffith
A. Griffiths
G. Grogan
A. Gubbins
S. Gullen
F. Guo
S. Gurung
W. Gustafsson
M. Habay
S. Hackner
H. Haggi
A. Hakimzada
C. Hall
M. Hall
K. Halliday
G. Hammersley
G. Hammett
H. Han
I. Han
W. Hance
A. Hancock
C. Hancock
P. Hancock
J. Hang
P. Hardcastle-Longman
C. Harper
C. Harrington

76 The British Museum Review 2011/12 77 Volunteers
T. Harris
J. Harrison
B. Harvey
M. Hatch
S. Hawkins
E. Hawrylowicz
E. Hay
L. Hazarika
T. Heasman
A. Heraclides
E. Herdman
G. Herrmann
G. Hewer
K. Hewson
R. Hickson
J. Hilder
G. Hindley
A. Hirano
M. Hoare
L. Holland
L. Holliday
A. Hooson
H. Hopper
M. Hopper
R. Houlston
J. Howard
D. Howard-Jones
D. Howells
G. Howes
W. Hu
B. Hua
R. Hughes
R. Humphreys
B. Hurman
J. Hurst-Bannister
A. Huxley-Khng
D. Hyde
B. Hytner
M. Ingram
A. Ishigami
S. Isle
A. Jack
N. Jackson
U. Jacob
P. Jagessar
M. James
Y. Jamil
S. Jansari
S. Jarvis
R. Jeffreys
R. Jehangir
L. Jenkins
N. Jensen
E. Jeong
D. Jessop
R. Jewell
C. Johns
A. Johnson
J. Johnson
K. Johnson
A. Johnston
V. Johnston
L. Jones
T. Jones
E. Jordan
S. Jordan
L. Joseph
M. Kafil-Hussain
M. Kajut
A. Kanatselou
T. Kaneko
S. Kaner
J. Kanter
M. Kar
A. Karagiorgi
D. Karter
L. Kaumanns
R. Kaur
A. Kazi
M. Keable
K. Keating
E. Keen
S. Keenlyside
S. Keller
A. Kemp
D. Kenneally
J. Kennedy
G. Kennedy
R. Keyes
S. Killeen
L. Kilroe
M. King
J. Kirby
M. Kirchner
G. Kirstein
Y. Kitajima
B. Kitchen
S. Klein
Z. Klink-Hoppe
P. Knowles
F. Kofidou
M. Koh
M. Komlosy
A. Komura
D. Kong
E. Kontova
M. Koziel
I. Kritikopoulos
A. Kruger
E. Krygowska
M. Kuch
N. Kuchta
A. Kuhn
J. Kurucz
B. Laarhoven
I. Lagat
W. Lai
C. Lal
A. Lamouille
J. Lang
E. Langforth
S. Langsdale
A. Latty
F. Lau
H. Laurence
S. Lazoi
J. Leach
K. Leahy
J. Lee
K. Lee
M. Lee
J. Leedham
J. Leightenheimer
K. Leighton-Boyce
L. Lekesova
V. Levene
B. Leventhall
J. Lewenstein
V. Lewin
G. Lewis
M. Lewis
R. Lewis
S. Lewis
D. Li
Y. Li
J. Lin
A. Lindahl
E. Linton
V. Lipscombe
R. Little
J. Lok
H. Long
S. Looi
F. Lopez-Sanchez
Y. Lou
C. Loughnane
H. Louth
J. Lundock
A. Luthi
V. Lye
H. Lythe
J. MacDermot
A. Macias
B. Mack
A. Mackelaite
M. MacKenzie
L. Macmillan
E. Maglaque
A. Magub
A. Maitland Gardner
H. Maloigne
A. Mansi
J. Marchant
S. Marconini
M. Marin
L. Maroudas
E. Marriott
J. Marshall
J. Martin
H. Marzetti
S. Marzinzik
E. Mason
L. Masterson
C. Mathias
R. Matsuba
S. Matthews
S. May
K. Maynes
K. McBain
K. McBride
A. McCabe
H. McCall
O. McConnie
L. McCormack
O. McEwan
S. McFarlane
H. McKenna
F. McLees
S. McManus
R. McVeagh
B. Mead
N. Meeks
T. Mehigan
K. Mellini
P. Mellor
E. Mellowes
V. Mendon
M. Meqdad
I. Metcalfe
A. Middleton
D. Middleton
Princess Akiko of Mikasa
A. Milks
R. Miller
M. Millet
M. Mirbashiri
T. Mitchell
J. Mitchell
J. Mockford
F. Monteith
A. Moore
E. Morhange
O. Morris
S. Morris
M. Morrison
J. Mossman
S. Muchmore
J. Muhl
P. Muirhead
J. Mukherjee
A. Murgia
N. Murin
E. Murray
H. Murray
E. Mushett Cole
A. Musial
A. Muthana
A. Nacamuli
A. Naqvi
F. Nash
T. Nash
K. Needell
S. Needham
F. Neve
S. Ng
N. Nixon
C. Nolan
M. Norman
N. Norman
D. O’Brien
K. O’Brien
L. O’Brien
D. O’Callaghan
M. Occelli
E. O’Connor
A. O’Connor
M. Odell
S. O’Flynn
C. O’Grady
So. Oh
Se. Oh
P. O’Hanlon
K. Okawa
L. Olabarria
H. Olivier
A. Ong
K. Orlowski
S. Oshidar
D. Oudanonh
P. Paez Dahlstrom
D. Paisey
M. Pakzad
D. Parker
D. Pascal
L. Pask
Al. Patel
An. Patel
C. Peacock
M. Peebles
T. Peinke
J. Pelsdonk
M. Pelsdonk
P. Peralta
V. Perkins
M. Perkins
S. Perna
K. Perricos
E. Peveler
E. Phillips
K. Philpot
A. Pieri
M. Pilbeam
A. Piper
M. Place
J. Playford
M. Plottu
J. Plowman
T. Pope
L. Popoviciu
B. Porter
J. Porter
F. Potter
J. Power
A. Pradella-Hallinan
S. Priestman
Y. Pucci
Y. Qu
M. Quarshie-Sapieka
A. Ramen
C. Rando
J. Rankine
M. Raposo
T. Rasheed
A. Rassia
E. Ratz
M. Raudnitz
J. Reade
V. Rebolledo
C. Reeves
B. Regel
S. Reid
S. Reitsis
M. Rendall
J. Restall
K. Rezakhani
N. Rhodes
S. Richards
R. Richardson
K. Rienjang
M. Riley
F. Rivers
C. Rizzo
K. Robbins
F. Roberts
H. Roberts
M. Roche
J. Roest
S. Rollason
D. Romanek
R. Roriz Rubim
A. Rose
D. Rosenow
C. Rovira-Guardiola
N. Rowe
K. Rowland
M. Royalton-Kisch
G. Rubenstein
R. Ruhe
K. Sadamura
M. Safinia
J. Sahota
H. Sakurai
R. Salim
M. Sanders
E. Saura Ramos
M. Sautin
C. Saward
C. Sayers
P. Schelthauer Jacobsen
J. Scholes
C. Schoonover
W. Scott
M. Scott-Walton
G. Scrymgeour
L. Scuderi
M. Seddon
F. Sediqy
J. Seely
S. Seepersaud-Jones
S. Sen
A. Shah
S. Shaharudin
L. Shames
M. Sharma
J. Shaw
J. Sheffield
A. Shen
C. Shilcock
M. Shilling
C. Siddiqui
M. Sidhu
N. Silva
T. Silversides
J. Silvester
R. Simmons
T. Simon
J. Simonson
H. Simpson
A. Singh
V. Siveroni
D. Skinitis
C. Skuse
C. Skyrme
J. Slight
V. Smallwood
D. Smith
L. Smith
P. Smith
S. Smith
L. Snowling
K. Solanki
D. Solman
J. Solomons
S. Soparkar
E. Sothern
J. Soto Llano
S. Souillard
H. Southern
K. Southwell
A. Spencer
G. Spender
B. Spiegelhalter
N. Stanley
D. Stanley
F. Stansfield
C. Stanton
K. Stark
D. Starzecka
M. Statton
L. Stellman
W. Sterling
R. Stevens
V. Stevens
N. Stevenson
E. Stevenson
I. Stewart
S. Stone
M. Suarez-Infiesta
L. Sukier
J. Sutton
N. Swaep
S. Swan

78 The British Museum Review 2011/12 79 World loans
A. Taberdo
K. Tailor
S. Tanimoto
H. Taylor
J. Taylor
J. Taylor
W. te Slaa
S. Tebbot
A. Ten Harkel
C. Tengelin
M. Theobald
A. Thomas
A.M. Thomas
S. Thomassen
P. Thompson
A. Thurman
S. Tiffney
M. Tillier
M. Tillo
P. Tinios
A. Tisseau Des Escotais
R. Tomber
J. Tomkins
C. Toogood
O. Topol
J. Torrice
G. Toso
V. Tothill
S. Towne
S. Truman
C. Tu
E. Tucker
A. Tuppen
A. Tupper
H. Tweed
M. Uckelmann
L. Underhill
P. Usick
J. Valenzuela
J. Van Asperen
C. Van Cleave
W. Van Hoof
W. Van Noord
D. Van Renswoude
J. Vann
S. Vene
L. Verger
G. Verri
A. Vetrugno
C. Veysey
S. Vickers
A. Von Aesch
C. Vona
J. Vout
J. Wakeel
C. Walker
H. Walker
M. Walker
C. Walsh
R. Walsh
R. Walters
A. Wang
L. Wang
L. Ware
E. Warry
C. Watkins
S. Watkins
R. Watson
J. Webb
K. Webb
S. Webb
L. Webster
R. Webster
J. Weisflog
D. Welch
I. Welsby Sjostrom
F. Wenban-Smith
L. Wenkert
L. Werner
K. West
J. Wexler
R. Whiting
I. Willetts
S. Williams
T. Williams
A. Willmott
H. Wilson
J. Wilson
K. Wilson
T. Wilson
N. Wiltshire
C. Wing
D. Winter
B. Witton
V. Wolfe
C. Wong
D. Wood
V. Wood
S. Woodford
E. Woodthorpe
H. Woodward
K. Wrobel
H. Wu
Y. Xie
H. Yang
C. Yankson
A. Yano
Y. Yasumura
N. Yesmin
C. Yim
M. Young
S. Youngs
A. Youssef
C. Yvard
J. Zahan
F. Zai
E. Zanoni
K. Zealey
Y. Zhang
R. Zhang
Z. Zhao
F. Ziota
K. Zumkley
World loans
Between 1 April 2011
and 31 March 2012,
BM objects have been
seen in cities across
the world
Aachen
Aberystwyth
Abu Dhabi
Alert Bay
Amsterdam
Antwerp
Arezzo
Barcelona
Bath
Bedford
Berlin
Bexhill-on-Sea
Birmingham
Bishop’s Stortford
Brighton
Bristol
Bruges
Cambridge
Canberra
Cardiff
Carlisle
Cheltenham
Cirencester
Coburg
Colchester
Cologne
Compton Verney
Copenhagen
Coventry
Detroit
Doha
Dorchester
Down Patrick
Dresden
Driffield
Dunwich
Durham
Ecouen
Edinburgh
Ely
Evanston
Exeter
Frankfurt
Ghent
Glasgow
Hampshire
Harrogate
Hertford
Hexham
Hong Kong
Houston
Hull
Indianapolis
Ipswich
Jelling
Jerusalem
Karlsruhe
Kettering
Lagos
Leeds
Leiden
Lincoln
Littlehampton
Liverpool
Llanfairpwll
London
Los Angeles
Luton
Madrid
Manchester
Mexico City
Milan
Montpellier
Moscow
Munich
Münster
Nagoya
New Haven
New York
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Newmarket
Norwich
Nottingham
Omagh
Orléans
Oxford
Paris
Penzance
Perth
Pforzheim
Plymouth
Provo
Reading
Redbridge
Rhayader
Richmond
Rome
Romford
Saarbrücken
Salem
Salisbury
San Francisco
Santander
Seattle
Sheffield
Stanford
Stoke-on-Trent
Strasbourg
Stroud
Sudbury
Swaffham
Sydney
Tokyo
Toronto
Torquay
Tours
Truro
Ulsan
Vancouver
Vienna
Wakefield
Walsall
Waltham Abbey
Warrington
Washington
Wellingborough
Welshpool
Williamstown
Woodbridge
Worcester
Worksop

Text by Mark Kilfoyle
Design by McConnell Design Ltd
Printed and bound by Gavin Martin Associates
Photo credits:
Photography at the British Museum; Benedict Johnson; Nasser D.
Khalili Collection of Islamic Art (Khalili Family Trust) (p.1);
The Royal Collection (p.10); National Gallery (p.18); Grayson Perry,
courtesy the Artist and Victoria Miro Gallery, London. Photo,
Stephen White (pp.22, 26); Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (p.25);
Hoshino Yukinobu (pp.27, 80); Contemporary Editions Ltd (p.27);
Ahmed Mater (pp.28–9); Victoria Miro Gallery, London (p.29);
Ian Appleford (p.31); David Levene (p.32); Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge (pp.36–7); Luton Culture (p.44); National Museums
Northern Ireland (p.44); Dorset County Museum (p.48); Paul Basu
(pp.51, 60); Foster + Partners (p.53); Claire Thorne (drawing p.55);
Egypt Exploration Society (p.56); Sadegh Tirafkan and
Selma Feriani Gallery (pp.58–9); Berber-Abidiya
Archaeological Project (p.60)
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Fitting right in
Manga sleuth Professor
Munakata gets into the
spirit of the Rosetta Stone.

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