Two Glasgow museums took Egyptian mummified remains out of public view in October 2026 because they decided that displaying the dead without consent from the deceased or their descendants no longer meets their duty of care.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, run by Glasgow Life, removed the painted coffin holding the priest Nekht, who is thought to have lived between 1985 and 1797 BC and whose remains were donated to the city in 1923. It also withdrew a mummified head, right foot and right hand from the Valley of the Kings. The Hunterian Museum at the University of Glasgow covered the body of Lady Shep-En-Hor with a specially designed textile after consulting Egyptologists, while her ornate sarcophagus, shown almost continuously since 1820, stays on view. The moves follow the International Council of Museums’ revised code of ethics from June, which asks museums to uphold the dignity of human remains. National Museums Scotland said it is not changing its displays, and both Glasgow museums said they would consider repatriation if asked.
Source: BBC News, Glasgow museums remove mummified remains from public view (October 23, 2026)
Image: Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.