The Boston Museum of Fine Arts is once again sharing its collection with St. Louis with Nubia: Treasures of Africa, on display at the Saint Louis Art Museum through August 22. The art on display is largely the result of archeological expeditions that took place between 1910 and 1932 and that were funded by the Boston institution and Harvard University. Recent scholarship over the past several decades now allows us to understand and appreciate the art of three ancient civilizations that existed in what is now Nubia. At the same time, that scholarship is working to peel and discard the layers of preconceptions and prejudices of the original archeologists who uncovered the amazing art. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Denise Doxey, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Curator of Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art.
Nubia is not the name of a particular civilization or culture, but rather the name of an ancient region that extended from the First Cataract—or what we would probably call rapids—of the Nile, into what is modern-day Sudan. The northern end of Nubia never possessed exact boundaries but rather blended into the Egyptian world. Complicating our understanding of these cultures today is that the European-imposed colonial era ignored ancient boundaries, splitting historic regions between different countries. And some objects were even cataloged as “Ethiopian”—which is even further south along the Blue Nile—when they were accessioned into the MFA’s collections. In fact, as Doxey points out, in the ancient world Nubia was actually called Kush.
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One aspect of these ancient civilizations that is increasingly clear is the level of sophistication they attained, without being mere copyists of the famous Egyptian kingdom to the north. Part of our lack of understanding came from a simple reason: Early archeologists who excavated at sites in colonial Sudan approached their subject from the standpoint that they were already dealing with an inferior culture. That bias partly came from the Egyptians themselves, whose own writings pilloried their southern neighbors.
The first civilization on display is the Kerma Period, from 2400 to 1550 B.C. The most distant era in the Nubian past, Kerma was also the most shrouded in misconceptions and misinterpretations created by the MFA’s curator and archeologist, George Andrew Reisner. While he correctly identified a new culture, he assumed that they had merely “copied” the more advanced “white” Egyptian civilization to the north. Likewise, when Reisner found Egyptian art among the Kerma excavations, he assumed it was a sign of foreign dominance in Nubia, and not the sign of a cosmopolitan culture that was interacting with its neighbors.
There are many exceptional works of art on display to demonstrate the strength of Kerma. Of particular interest are its ceramics, which were carefully fired in the kiln partially buried in ash, creating unique patterns. The works of art appear surprisingly modern. Likewise, bright blue faience lions retrieved from a wall show the ability of Kerma craftspeople. For context, works of stone from Egyptian sources are displayed next to their Nubian counterparts.
After the Kerma Period, there was an era of Egyptian occupation and then the rise of the Napatan civilization, from 750 B.C. to 332 B.C. Our understanding of this civilization is much greater due to the adoption of Egyptian hieroglyphics—as well as its pantheon of gods. We also see the appearance of one of the most important leaders in world history whom you’ve probably never heard of: King Taharqa, whose grandiose shawabties dominate one of the galleries of the exhibition.
In the past, many classes on ancient Egypt glossed over the 25th dynasty, choosing to treat the period of Nubian rule as a footnote and not a major historical period. Egypt had been conquered by its neighbor to the south. Taharqa also established a new necropolis at Nuri, where the now-famous pyramid tombs of Napatan kings are located. The monuments are not as large as most Egyptian tombs, but they have panache and are not just knockoffs. Sadly, just like their counterparts to the north, they were robbed in antiquity.
But one of the objects from the reign of King Piankhi—a Hathor-head crystal pendant—shows the height of artistic expression. As Doxey explains, the gold lead laid down on the head of the Egyptian god Hathor is so delicate and its craftsmanship so flawless, that originally the piece was thought to have been cast. But it is not, and all the more amazing is that the tissue-thin leaves of gold had to be applied without optical aids.
The last period in the exhibit is the Meroe Period, named after the Nubian capital on the Nile River south of Napata. Dating from 332 B.C. to 350 A.D., the period corresponds to some of the most consequential times in Greek and Roman civilization. But during the Meroe Period, Nubia flourished, developing a new Meroitic script. It also interacted with its neighbors to the north, as evidenced in a piece of ceramic that showed a fusion of classical Greek and Roman motifs with Nubian pottery.
What is most rewarding about the exhibit is how it introduces a whole new world of African art to an American audience. There might not be any 20-foot-tall granite statues in Sculpture Hall as in the recent Sunken Cities special exhibit, but the beauty comes in the details of objects. If you’ve never heard of Nubia and the civilizations that encompass that broad expanse of the Nile River Valley, you should go see this exhibit. If you learned about Nubia in school 30 years ago, seeing this exhibit might be even more necessary. There is so much more to learn now.
