Almina, 5th Countess of Carnarvon snubs the British Museum
over her husband’s
Egyptian Collection
Controversial Sale to the Metropolitan Museum of New York
American Money Talks
In February 1927, Lady Almina, the Dowager Countess of Carnarvon arranged the sale of the Egyptian artefacts of her deceased first
husband. The 5th Earl willed the entire ‘ Egyptian collection’
to Almina in 1919, as set out below.
PART OF THE WILL OF GEORGE EDWARD STANHOPE MOLYNEUX HERBERT
5th EARL
OF CARNARVON OF HIGHCLERE CASTLE
THE EGYPTIAN COLLECTION
“I, GEORGE EDWARD Earl of Carnarvon will and bequeath to my wife Almina
Carnarvon my entire Egyptian collection. I would like her to give one object to
the British Museum one object to the Ashmolean and a fragment cup of blue glass
Thotmes 3 to the Metropolitan Museum New York. The first 2 bequests need not be
capital objects. Should she find it necessary to sell the collection I suggest
that the Nation i.e. the British Museum be given first refusal at £20,000 far
below its value such sum however to be absolutely hers free of all duties
otherwise I would suggest that the
collection be offered to the Metropolitan New York. Mr Carter to have charge of the negotiations and to fix a price. Should my
wife decide to keep the collection I leave it absolutely to her whether she leaves it to my son or to
the nation or to Evelyn Herbert. I suggest
however that she consult Dr Gardiner and Mr Carter on the subject .
Written entirely by me October 29, 1919
CARNARVON
Two witnesses signed:
MARCUS B JOHNSON, 9 Henrietta
Street , London W1 Surgeon
FREDERICK WALTER GROVE , 1 Seamore Place, London W1. Butler”
The will was compiled after the Earl’s near death experience, his life being saved by the quick wittedness of Almina and
the surgical skills of Sir ( later Lord ) Berkeley Moynihan.
The Earl died in Cairo, Egypt, on 5 April 1923 from the affects of a terminal cancer. Almina, a trained nurse who ran her own hospitals for Officers in the Great War, ensured her husband's final days were pain free.
On 21 February 1927 it was announced that the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York ( pictured above) had acquired the 5th Earl’s unique
collection, comprising over 1,400 pieces, valued at over £50,000. This
collection was the rakings of excavations and Howard Carter’s purchases ( and in some cases thefts from tombs by
Carter and orchestrated by the wheelings, dealings and clever string pulling of the British Museum, headed
by Sir Ernest Wallis Budge - pictured below ) – this
was before the discovery of
Tutankhamun. Parts of this cache were
displayed at an exhibition of Egyptian works of art at the Burlington Fine Arts
Club in 1922.
The 5th
Earl’s Wish that his Egyptian Collection
go to the British Museum: Snubbed by Almina
The sale by Almina to
the Americans was highly controversial. In the 5th Earl’s will he had
“suggested” that the nation (namely the British Museum) be given first refusal
of the Collection at £20,000. The use of the word ‘suggest’ made all the difference
between the items being retained in Britain and them going elsewhere.
One commentator
remarked: “If instead of the word ‘suggest’ Lord Carnarvon had written ‘direct’
Almina, Lady Carnarvon would have had no discretion in the matter.” As it was
Almina, as owner, had a perfect right to do as she thought fit and sell it to
the highest bidder.
Sir Frederick Kenyon
(1863–1952), director of the British Museum, told the world press:
“This is a tragedy… the
Collection was not offered to us.” Kenyon continued, “Of course Lady Carnarvon
is a free agent, but it is a great loss to the country.”
Almina Had No Room for
Sentimentalism
Almina was resolute: there was no room for sentimentalism where money
was concerned. The 6th Earl ( Almina’s
son) was not consulted: he had no
interest in Egypt - he was terrified of the
so called ‘King Tut curse’. Carter
thought the remaining unsold items were trivial. These were removed from sight by Highclere
staff.
The surprising twist in
the story came in 1988 when, after the
6th Earl’s death, it emerged that there was still this dud cache of Egyptian
artefacts hidden away at Highclere Castle. Cupboards were sealed up between the
rooms where the items were stored. The inference is that when Almina could
not sell everything from the collection to the Americans the unimportant
pieces were returned to Highclere and
Carter - who had
catalogued the collection –
arranged as they were unsellable to
be withdrawn from the inventory and
stored away.
The 1988 Deception
It is clear from the
comments of the late Harry James’ ( of the
British Museum) in The London Times of
1988 that when it was announced to the
world by the 7th Earl of
Carnarvon about the previously hidden
items that these had been identified
many months before the official
announcement of the find. This deception was to maximize the publicity, dub them
‘hidden treasures of Tutankhamun’ to
suit the fact that the Castle was being opened up to the public.
Who is the legal owner
of the ‘Egyptian Stuff’ at Highclere?
A curious aspect arises
about the legal ownership of these
artefacts, that are still at Highclere. Since
these objects were willed to Almina by the 5th Earl they surely continued to be a part of her assets. In 1951 Almina was declared bankrupt,
with large surtax debts that were never repaid. Her affairs were handed over for management by the Official Receiver. The
items in question could/ should have been brought into the Receiver’s hands in
part payment of tax, and that would have secured them for the British
Museum’s Collection. Almina did not leave a will as she was
still an undischarged bankrupt at the time of her death in 1969. The items may
therefore be technically owned by the nation. Perhaps rather embarrassing for hooty Highclere.
Besides this it remains a further
curious fact that the government of Egypt has a historical ( and probably a legitimate
legal ) claim on the 5th Earl’s complete antiquities collection that is scattered around private and public
hands in Britain, the USA and at
Highclere Castle. This old claim relates generally to the many Egyptian ( and other) antiquities stranded elsewhere that
( like the Elgin Marbles and the Koh-i-noor diamond) were plundered
by monarchs, opportunists, smugglers, adventurers
and even by agents of the great Western
museums.
Any queries about this article please contact William Cross, FSA Scot.
The themes set out here will be explored further in William Cross' new book " Carnarvon, Carter and Tutankhamun Revisited : The hidden truths and doomed relationships" Due Out 4 November 2016.
CONTACT FOR WILLIAM CROSS
williecross@aol.com
