We have received a request from Bernard Griffin for information
about the history of Robert Hay and his work in Egypt, with a view to possible
publication of the Robert Hay drawings of Amarna in the Manuscripts Department
of the British Library. As many of you are aware, many of these splendid drawings
were secured with the aid of the camera lucida by Robert Hay and his team of
copyists working in the rock tombs at Amarna in 1830 and 1833. This vast collection
of drawings and notes fills no less than 49 volumes, many of which run to over
100 folios and the Library has no specific catalogue of the drawing, descriptions
or scene locations. The majority of the Amarna drawings can, however, be identified
by reference to the Topographical Bibliography (Porter and Moss) Volume IV (1934),
to be updated in the next four years.
Cyril Aldred's Akhenaten refers to the exquisite art of these drawings and they are clearly superb examples of the art of the Amarna period. As these drawings have never been published they are unavailable to students of Egyptology, excepting those able to visit the Library, It is apparent that many of the drawings are the individual pieces of a number of jigsaw puzzles which, when and if assembled, may depict the full scenes from tomb walls, Some of these scenes may have been destroyed and have therefore never been seen by anyone less than 170 years old!
Bernard Griffin is preparing a computerised database catalogue of the Hay Amarna drawings detailing British Library/Topographical Bibliography cross-references, locations and descriptions, perhaps for eventual publication, with copies of the scenes. The British Library is able to provide digital copies of the drawings and some of the drawings are on microfilm, some of which (the Theban necropolis) were studied by Lisa Manniche. The Topographical Bibliography at the Griffith Institute, Oxford may well have a list of Hay drawings. Any ASTENE members who can provide Bernard with advice on computer imaging, possible publishing and finance for the project can contact him direct on Bernard Griffin, 22 Newberry Crescent, Windsor, Berks. fax:/Tel: 01753 864256 email: bernard.olwen@ukf.net
‘The Panoramas of Thebes' were drawn in 1826 by Robert Hay, one of the finest draughtsmen and artists ever to work in Egypt. The two 360 degree panoramas and additional drawings are a unique record of the Theban Necropolis and of the community that lived there, and that still lives and works in the many hamlets that make up the village of Qurna.
Museums and libraries around the world hold collections of treasures, pictures, and other records from Thebes/ Qurna, that Qurnawi people never see. The originals of Hay's drawings are in the British Library and have never been published. When I saw the drawings I thought it would be wonderful to have them on display in Qurna, where they came from. The Library has generously given a set of photographic copies to the people of Qurna for display in the village.
The best venue is one where both locals and visitors pass by, and ideally a good building in its own right. The Omda House by the Post Office and Tomb of Ramose is perfect, just metres from where one panorama was drawn. It has a small modern craft gallery in two rooms, and a local sculpture shop in another. At present three rooms on the ground floor are empty and will be restored to hold an exhibition of the history of Qurna featuring the Hay Panoramas. The owner has agreed to have the exhibition there, and the contract is agreed. Entry will be free to all.
All we need now is the money to pay to make the pictures into an exhibition, to repair the rooms, pay a small rent, and for a guardian to look after it. The total cost for the first two years is £10,000. A charity account has been opened in the UK, and a registered NGO in Egypt will accept donations from within Egypt. I firmly believe that there are many people who would like to see these remarkable drawings displayed in this way: people who love Egypt, people who have visited Thebes, people who understand what one's history means to a community. Imagine never having seen any pictures from the past of your family, or anywhere in your immediate environment. Imagine no family photos, none of those little heaps of sepia prints, those black and white ones of sporty looking young things in long bathing suits or taking tea on long gone lawns.
Imagine never having seen any old photos or pictures of the town or village where you live, and there is no written history either; also you are a village woman and can't read anyway. Then, all of a sudden, someone shows you lovely detailed drawings of where you live, but one hundred and seventy-five years ago. Here, every hump and bump, is the land your house is built on, the granaries that still stand in the back yard; here are men, women and children who must be relatives: all the sites around which your family has lived for generations. Suddenly you have a visual history, as strong and valid as the paintings and carvings on the ancient tombs scattered in your village. That is what the Hay drawings mean to the Qurnawi, and much more. Please help give the Qurnawi back their history and visitors to Thebes a rare treat. A brochure and further information available. All help and donations gratefully received, send to Robert Hay's Panoramas of Thebes/Qurna, co-ordinator Caroline Simpson BA, 9 Whittington Road, Bounds Green, London N22 8YS. Cheques to be made payable to Hay's Theban Panoramas