Bernardino Drovetti
Italian-born French consul and antiquities collector in Egypt
- Born
- 1776, Barbania, Piedmont
- Died
- 1852, Turin
- Office
- French Consul-General in Egypt
- Collections
- Turin (1824), Louvre, Berlin
- Acquired
- Turin King List papyrus
A diplomat and collector whose Egyptian antiquities founded Turin's Museo Egizio, including the Turin King List papyrus.
What is Bernardino Drovetti known for?
Bernardino Drovetti was born in Piedmont in 1776, took French nationality, and served as French Consul-General in Egypt from 1802 to 1815 and again from 1821 to 1829. He was close to Egypt's ruler Muhammad Ali.
He was one of the most active collectors in the scramble for Egyptian antiquities in the early 1800s, competing fiercely with Henry Salt, Giovanni Belzoni and others. His first collection was bought by King Charles Felix of Sardinia in 1824 and became the core of the Museo Egizio in Turin; a second went to the Louvre and a third to Berlin.
Among the Turin pieces is the Turin Royal Canon, the papyrus king list he acquired at Thebes around 1820. It reached Turin badly broken, in more than 160 fragments. Drovetti died in Turin in 1852.
Acquired the Turin King List papyrus at Thebes around 1820.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeTurin King List
- PlaceMuseo Egizio (Turin)
- PlaceThebes (Egypt)
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Bernardino Drovetti'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Turin King List'Reference
- Museo Egizio, Turin: Royal Canon of Turin (Cat. 1874), collection recordReference
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