A Sphinx Draws Him: Maximilian of Austria’s Egyptian Collection at

A Sphinx Draws Him: Maximilian of Austria’s Egyptian Collection at Miramare Stables

Location: Stables of Miramare Castle, Trieste. Until: 1 November 2026.

A notable portion of Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian’s Egyptian collection is back in Trieste. Organized through a partnership between the Museo storico e Parco del Castello di Miramare and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the exhibition features more than one hundred artifacts that reflect 19th-century collecting practices and interests.

The curators selected works from the KHM’s Egyptian-Oriental Collection and the Civic Museum of Antiquities J. J. Winckelmann in Trieste to trace the collection’s formation and the Archduke’s vision of an ideal museum.

• On display: statues, reliefs, fragments and everyday objects from ancient Egypt (over 100 items).
• Loans: pieces from the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Civico Museo d’Antichità J. J. Winckelmann.
• Curators: Massimo Osanna, Christian Greco, Cäcilia Bischoff and Michaela Hüttner.
• Programs: educational activities for schools and workshops for adults and families; some events included with the exhibition ticket.

The exhibition emphasizes not only the objects themselves but also their layered histories: their original context in ancient Egypt, their passage through European collections, and contemporary questions of conservation and display.

For visiting hours, bookings and ticket information, consult the Museo storico e Parco del Castello di Miramare website or CoopCulture.