Click to see it larger © Joan Lansberry, May 2008 "The sand, the pyramids, the sphinx, all gray and bathed in a rosy light; the sky perfectly blue, eagles slowly wheeling and gliding around the tips of the Pyramids. We stop at the Sphinx; it fixes us with a terrifying stare...I am afraid of becoming giddy and try to control my emotions." - Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), French writer

"The large central space in this gallery contains a variety of statues and paintings ranging in date from the earliest Old Kingdom (circa 2675 B.C.) to the period of Roman domination (fifth century A.D.). To the modern viewer, they all look Egyptian, but in fact these works reveal one of the eternal mysteries of ancient Egyptian art and culture–the combination of the ideas of permanence and change. As Egypt changed over the centuries, so too did its art and other aspects of its culture." (From the museum website)