‘Nubia: Jewels of Ancient Sudan’ on Display at Getty Villa

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Those looking to dive into history can do so in their own backyard.

Getty Museum is now hosting “Nubia: Jewels of Ancient Sudan from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,” which is on view at Getty Villa through April 3, 2023.

Described as a “major loan exhibition,” items in the collection highlight Nubian jewelry and other precious objects that had been excavated in Sudan in 1913-32 during the joint Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition. Most of the objects are from royal and aristocratic burials, which show the grandeur of ancient Nubian society.

“Nubia—a region along the Nile River in present-day southern Egypt and northern Sudan—was home to some of the earliest civilizations of ancient Africa,” according to a press release from Getty. “It was a place of artistic, religious and political innovation, and its legacy of personal adornment as an expression of power and identity continues to resonate today.”

The collection features objects made from gold, silver, semi-precious stones and faience, which were all part of the burial process, with Nubian rulers often buried in tombs that took the form of pyramids. Objects found often have Egyptian imagery and hieroglyphic inscriptions, though many feature a distinctive local style crafted by Nubian artisans.

“The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has the most important collection of Nubian antiquities in the United States, including exquisite jewelry, metalwork and sculpture,” said Timothy Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. “Rivaling and at times ruling over the land of the pharaohs, Nubia’s rich and diverse culture is one of the most dynamic manifestations of the cross-influences and exchanges that characterized the Mediterranean, North Africa and Near East in antiquity.”

Pieces on display showcase works produced at Meroë, like jewelry and other ornaments, which feature a mix of Egyptian, Greek and Roman influences, with “vibrant Nubian character.”

The exhibition has been organized by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and curated by Sara Cole, assistant curator of antiquities at Getty.

For more information—or to reserve a free ticket to visit Getty Villa and see the collection—visit getty.edu.