Northampton's £2m Egyptian Sekhemka statue to be sold

[DJKeefy]

A 4,000-year-old Egyptian statue will be sold by Northampton's museums service, a council has decided.

The statue of Sekhemka, owned by Conservative-run Northampton Borough Council, dates from 2400 BC.



Some local people opposed the sale, claiming it could lead to the council being discredited by the Museums Association.

After a public consultation, the council said any sale money would be re-invested in other heritage services.

The council said 173 people took part in the consultation and 71% wanted the money reinvested in the town's museum and art gallery.

Brandon Eldred, council cabinet member for community engagement, said: "This would be a fantastic investment in our new Cultural Quarter and would enable us to better tell the story of our town.

'Wider audience'

"We recognise that the statue of Sekhemka is a valuable asset and appreciate that it is a significant Egyptian artefact.

"However, we care strongly about Northampton's culture and believe this is the right way to enable us to invest more in bringing the very best of our heritage to a wider audience."

The council's plan was to reinvest any money raised in Northampton Museum, Abington Park and Delapre Abbey.

The borough said it would now consult with the Museums Association and Arts Council England on whether an auction was the best way forward, subject to the statue reaching its reserve price.

It is thought the statue was acquired by Spencer Compton, the second Marquis of Northampton, during a trip to Egypt in 1850 and presented to the museum by his son 20 years later.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-no ... e-21154462

[Ra-Mont]

Such artefacts used to be called "priceless". But the British Conservatives have no difficulty pricing them, it seems.

[A-Four]

£2,000,000,.........I think not, there may be deep problems as to how they can present this for auction anyhow.

This statue came from either one of two places in Luxor, where at the same time more than 350 of these statues, either standing or seated were un-earthed, and as we know many more have been discovered in recent years.

Originally the British Museum had 50 of these, today they have around 30 ?,..........but of these only five are on display and the rest are in the basement. (Where no one see's them.)

[Who2]

Well let Northampton keep theirs and buy mine for £5Ok....'cheep..

Location: unearthed in my back-garden...

[Dusak]

Give it back to Luxor. I see on another post that Florence Nightingale is spoken of. She was a self confessed tomb robber. In one of her letters home she instructs her mother, I think it was, to cast down into the rubbish her last finds that she sent home as she had 'acquired' better items to replace them.

[Bullet Magnet]

She was a very clever girl though.. Hated her counterpart Betsy Cadwallader, which is now the NEW name for the North East Wales NHS Service.

I did my research on our Betsy, and it turns out she died of Syphillis...
Not one to judge, maybe Nurses wages were so poor, she had to turn to Prostitution to make ends meet so to speak..

Or maybe, she just enjoyed a good bunk up.. ?

[Who2]

Speaking from a stand-point of an ex ambulance man you cannot beat a randy nurse, well you can if both parties agree..

[Brian Yare]

I hope that the statue has provenance - it looks fake to me, from the tiny pictures.