Renowned ancient Egyptian collections from the ROM reach new audiences at China’s prestigious Xuzhou Museum

Time Travel & Civilization Dialogue: The Special Exhibition of Ancient Egyptian Treasures is on display at the Xuzhou Museum from June 28 to September 28, 2019

TORONTO, July 4, 2019 — The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is pleased to announce the loan of over 120 ancient Egyptian objects from its renowned collections for the exhibition, Time Travel & Civilization Dialogue: The Special Exhibition of Ancient Egyptian Treasures, now on display at the Xuzhou Museum in Jiangsu province, China.  

“We are pleased to work with the prestigious Xuzhou Museum to share this spectacular collection of ancient Egyptian art with the people of Xuzhou and beyond,” says Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO. "Connecting with new audiences is a core mandate for the ROM. This partnership builds on our relationship with China and its cultural institutions, while sharing the thrill of discovery that these objects inspire." 

Curated by Xuzhou Museum’s Li Xiaojun, Time Travel & Civilization Dialogue presents the stories of Egyptian life on the Nile River Valley thousands of years ago. Through the objects on display, the exhibition explores ancient Egyptian culture, including their belief in, and meticulous preparation for the afterlife.

Highlights among the stunning objects on loan to Xuzhou Museum include a large granite sculpture, believed to be of Cleopatra VII (c. 47–30 BCE); a painted and gilded cartonnage mummy mask (c.100 BC–100 CE); a sarcophagus (c. 1069–945 BCE); a stunning beaded neck collar (c.1352–1336 BCE); and a papyrus fragment from the Book of the Dead (c. 664–525 BCE).

“We are pleased to be working in cooperation with the ROM,” says Li Xiaojun, Director and CEO of Xuzhou Museum. “This exhibition presents an excellent occasion and opportunity to engage in cultural communication.”

The loan of objects was overseen by Dr. Krzysztof Grzymski, ROM Senior Curator (Egypt & Nubia). ROM representative Dr. Chen Shen, Vice President Art and Culture, Senior Curator of Chinese Art and Culture attended Xuzhou Museum’s exhibition opening event.

-30-

XUZHOU WEBSITE

Time Travel & Civilization Dialogue: The Special Exhibition of Ancient Egyptian Treasures
http://www.xzmuseum.com/

ROM MEDIA CONTACT

David McKay, Communications Coordinator
davidm@rom.on.ca        
416.586.5559

ROM SOCIAL MEDIA 

Instagram: @romtoronto
Facebook: @royalontariomuseum
Twitter: @ROMtoronto

ABOUT THE ROM

Opened in 1914, the Royal Ontario Museum showcases art, culture and nature from around the world and across the ages. Among the top 10 cultural institutions in North America, Canada’s largest and most comprehensive museum is home to a world-class collection of 13 million art objects and natural history specimens, featured in 40 gallery and exhibition spaces. As the country’s preeminent field research institute and an international leader in new and original findings, the ROM plays a vital role in advancing our understanding of the artistic, cultural and natural world. Combining its original heritage architecture with the contemporary Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, the ROM serves as a national landmark, and a dynamic cultural destination in the heart of Toronto for all to enjoy.

About Xuzhou Museum 

Xuzhou Museum is a comprehensive museum with collections from the Neolithic Age to the Ming and Qing Dynasties as well as the modern works of art. The museum is responsible for the excavation, protection, exhibition, collection, and research of the historical heritage of Xuzhou City, as well as the national first-class humanities and social sciences popularization base and the patriotism education base of Jiangsu province and Xuzhou City. The Xuzhou Museum is renowned for its rich collection of ancient Han Dynasty objects, with more than 1000 Han tombs having been excavated, and tens of thousands of Han Dynasty cultural relics unearthed in recent years through the efforts of archaeologists. Xuzhou Museum is located at 118, Heping Road, Xuzhou City.