(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-14 09:41

HONG KONG - About 270 artifacts selected from the British Museum will be put on display at the Hong Kong Museum of Art from September 14.

The exhibition, entitled Treasures of the World's Cultures from the British Museum, will feature about 270 artifacts covering a vast span of time from two million years ago to the present day.

Speaking at an opening ceremony held for the exhibition here Thursday, Director of Leisure and Cultural Services of Hong Kong Thomas Chow said this year is also the 45th anniversary of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, which has been making every effort to protect the heritage of mankind and to bring cultural treasures to Hong Kong and working closely with world-class museums in introducing the most remarkable art and cultures to our visitors.

The exhibits include sculptures, ceramics, wood carvings, jewelry, drawings and prints selected to give visitors a glimpse of the diversified arts and cultures of ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, the Middle East, Africa, India, Japan, America and Oceania.

Highlight items include an Egyptian wooden mummy-board "The Unlucky Mummy" of early 22nd Dynasty dated about 945 BC; a 13th century Egyptian brass "Astrolabe" with silver inlay, a marble Roman statue of Dionysos of 2nd century; a "Queen's lyre" of about 2600-2400 BC found in the Royal Cemetery at Ur; a walrus ivory chess-piece made in about 1150-1200 and found in Scotland, a portrait-head of Euripides, the leading playwright of Classical Athens, and a nude man drawing by Leonardo da Vinci.

Officiating at Thursday's ceremony also included British Consul-General of Hong Kong Stephen Bradley, Senior Keeper of the British Museum John Curtis and some other guests.

The exhibition will end on December 2.