Thomas Cook's Egyptian statue bought by Leicester museum

A 3,000-year-old Egyptian statue which was held by the company archives of the collapsed Thomas Cook travel firm has been bought by a museum.

The granite statue was gifted to the son of travel pioneer Thomas Cook in the late 19th Century.

It has been bought for £150,000 by a Leicester museum with grants and funding from museum and history groups.

Joanna Jones, head of arts at the city council, called it "an important addition" to their Egyptian collection.

John Cook - the son of the company's founder - was given the statue by Egyptian authorities in the 1890s to thank him for the contribution made by the Leicester-based company to tourism in the country.

The statue has been added to the New Walk Museum's Ancient Egypt gallery after it was put for sale by administrators following Thomas Cook's collapse last year.

The rest of the Thomas Cook archive was transferred to a new home at the Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland Record Office in January.

The council said the statue showed a husband and wife - Sethmose and Isisnofret - both figures wearing fashionable, contemporary dress and wigs.

The authority said granite was difficult to procure in Ancient Egypt, so the statue was probably made with royal permission and designed to be on display in a public place or temple.

"We are very grateful to everyone involved in bringing this beautiful statue to Leicester," said Ms Jones.

The statue will be joining four mummies in the gallery which were also donated to Leicester by John Cook in 1885.

A new exhibition featuring the items is planned when the city's museums reopen following the coronavirus pandemic.

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