About
Anton Lavrin, hailing from the small town of Vipava in modern-day Slovenia, became one of the most important amateur Egyptologists and Ancient Egyptian collectors of the 19th century. Originally coming to Egypt as a diplomat for Austria, he used his position to earn exclusive access to sites in the country. Decorating his mansion in Alexandria with finds, he also donated some of his finds to museums back home and the Austrian royal family.
However, two of his sarcophagi from Giza received especially notable fates. In 1845, they were sent back to his hometown to be used for his parents Jernej and Jožefa and his son Albert. Only six such red granite sarcophagi were discovered by Lavrin's associate, antiquity dealer Jusuf Masara, near the Pyramid of Khafre. It is believed that they were originally the tombs of high-ranking courtiers of the pharaoh Menkaure. The sarcophagi are still on display in the open at the Lavrin family mausoleum in Vipava Cemetery.
