British Museum

There were a couple of things that I wanted to see at the British Museum. I have to admit to being rather disappointed with the Babylon exhibition. I'd have liked more artefacts from Babylon itself. The glazed brick reliefs of lions and a dragon from the Processional Way give an indication of the physical splendour of the city but there was little about the lives of the occupants, and to be honest, cuneiform tablets don't exactly grip in the same way as other ancient written sources. The idea of Babylon may have inspired the imagination down the centuries but I'm afraid the exhibition didn't do much for me. However, it was salutary to be reminded of the damage the site has suffered since the American invasion of Iraq.
Personally I was far more entranced by the fragmentary wallpaintings from Nebamun's tomb-chapel in one of the Egyptian rooms. The details of the natural world are astonishing (a cat catching birds, different coloured cattle suggesting movement, hares and deer brought as offerings, fish in a pond) and one wishes that more paintings had survived. Even this handful of fragments though give an indication of how beautiful the tomb itself must have been.
The other unexpected delight was the exhibition Treasures of Shanghai: ancient Chinese bronzes and jades. Among the items are axes, wine and food vessels and even a drum support. My favourite was a vessel in the shape of a buffalo, from 13-11th century BC, where the elaborate decoration on the body contrasted with the simple, rather sweet, features of the face (actually part of the lid) The technique used in all the bronzes is astonishing, some of the later ones featuring silver inlay. Even the ceremonial jade axe heads are things of beauty, despite their simplicity. Later artists were inspired by the ancient vessels, copying the forms and decoration and it's easy to see why.