MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS THE BRITISH MUSEUM...

It's been a long while since I've seen the inside of the British Museum.  In fact, it's been over 25 years and that was, until now, the only time I'd visited.  It was for my college preliminary project.  We were given a choice of exhibitions to see and write a report about, and I chose 'The Passionate Art Of Utamaro', which displayed the (sometimes erotic) work of Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806).  I regarded him as a Japanese Aubrey Beardsley!

Here's one of his lesser salacious works, of a couple beginning the motion known as in flagrante delicto... 

My project was not well-received.  This was not because of the content- the college, after all, chose the subject matters.  Another option would have been 'The Naked Shit'- an exhibition by Gilbert and George, and those two gentlemen are hardly tame.  No, they did not like the creative way in which I executed my work and certainly didn't appreciate my design, or written, skills.  What a bunch of first class idiots! 

I recreated this sorry experience for my first novel, entitled 'The Reject's Club'; via the character of fashionista Elizabeth.

Here is the link:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rejects-Club-Elaine-Rockett/dp/1500563366

Here are the paperback and Kindle covers...

Back to the British Museum, and the reason I wanted to visit is that I wanted to look at the mummies and sarcophagi, after reading a novel set in Cairo.  The book is reviewed on here and is called Iris & Ruby, by Rosie Thomas.  Reading it made me want to take a cruise up the Nile and see the pyramids and a sphinx or two... bucket list!

The main entrance to the museum is really grandiose...

...and the entrance hall is spectacular...

You really have to hone in on what part you want to see, otherwise there is too much to take in.  This museum is huge.  Photography is allowed, but the Egyptology section was totally overrun with tourists, so it was almost impossible to read the accompanying text to any artefact and not easy to get decent shots.  But I tried!

Here is the mummy of Cleopatra, daughter of Candace.  No, not THE Cleo, but of the same family...

Here is her story, courtesy of the British Museum...  

A selection of sarcophagi...

Here is a BIG sarcophagus!

Here are some mummies...

Here are several miscellaneous artefacts...

Beautiful jewellery.  I love these but, then again, I would.  I own lots of costume jewellery and regard it in the same way as shoes- you can never have too much!

I'll complete this blog with a photograph of these two old birds.  I love, love, LOVE the way they do their eye make-up.  Again, I would- you can never have too much black eyeliner!

I'd like to pop back during a quieter period (i.e. NOT a Bank Holiday Saturday) but will leave it until after I've booked a trip to Egypt...

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