The British Museum now owns a bit of Agatha Christie’s facial cream.
For a reported £1.17 million, they have purchased an amazing collection of almost 6000 decorative ivories. Called the Nimrud Ivories, these items were carved pieces of elephant ivory that are nearly 3,000 years old. Most of the pieces date from the 9th to the 7th century BC and they were discovered in the royal arsenal within Fort Shalmaneser palace in Nimrud.
John Curtis of the British Museum’s Middle East department explained that, “Nimrud is one of the most important sites in the Ancient Near East and the carved ivories found there are among the finest products recovered from an archaeological excavation.”
What, exactly, is the connection to the famous author’s cream? Interestingly enough, the carvings were found in the ancient city of Nimrud, which is modern day Iraq, by Agatha Christie’s husband. The team that discovered these ivories between 1949 and 1963 was led by Sir Max Mallowan.
Agatha Christie revealed in her autobiography that she often used her facial cream to clean her husband’s findings. Christie was quite an active part of the excavation team, photographing the objects her husband’s team found and helping to restore the spoils. In addition, the excavation site had a room built, called Agatha’s House, so that Christie could pen her mysteries while her husband worked.
A British Museum spokesman says that this is the second most expensive acquisition since the Second World War for the museum.