Egypt Asks Glasgow to Return Mummified Head of a Man Named Nekht
Egypt has asked for the return of a mummified head held by the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. The head belongs to a man named Nekht, who lived sometime between 1985 BCE and 1797 BCE, according to ArtNews.
Asking for an object back is called repatriation, meaning the return of a item to the country it came from. In this case, the request is for human remains, which museums often handle with more care than ordinary objects.
Kelvingrove took Nekht's head off display in October. In its place, the museum put up a sign reading: "We have removed human remains from this display as a mark of respect." Kelvingrove representatives said curators made the decision because they felt they did not have the consent needed to keep showing it. Other remains in the museum's collection have also been taken off view.
Glasgow Life, the charity that runs Kelvingrove, confirmed it had received the request to send Nekht's remains to Egypt. It said Glasgow has a well-established process for repatriation requests, and that it will follow that process to decide the next steps. Its collections policy for January 2024 to January 2029 says every such case must be sent to a working group that reviews repatriation, restitution and spoliation (the wrongful taking of property) claims.
The removals have been drawing attention for weeks. The BBC reported on 23 October that two museums in Glasgow had taken Egyptian mummy remains off display over ethical concerns. ArtNews reported on 22 October that Kelvingrove's decision set off a conservative backlash.
Glasgow Life describes its Egyptian Collection as being of international significance. It also says the collection is the third largest of its kind in Scotland, behind those held by National Museums Scotland.
For visitors, the head is no longer on view in Glasgow. For Glasgow Life, the next step is the review process its policy sets out. Nothing has been decided yet about where, or when, Nekht's remains could go.
