Formation of collections of ancient Egyptian monuments in Russian museums in the early XX century

Abstract

The article describes the history of the formation of the Egyptian collections in non-core Russian museums in the late XIX – early XX century. At this time, the owners of private collections began to sell and donate to various museums monuments of ancient Egyptian art. Initially, this phenomenon was due to their patriotism and desire to «serve the motherland», but at the beginning of XX century, it has become more necessary measure, since begun forced nationalization of works of art that were in private hands. In any case, such a fact contributed to the expansion of domestic resource base of Egyptology and has enabled many of them to enter into scholarly.