Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson facts for kids

Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson (born in 1881, died in 1945) was an interesting man from Ireland. His friends called him John. He was a surgeon, a soldier, and someone who helped manage countries that were under British rule. He was also a passionate collector of old things, especially from Egypt. Two famous things are named after him: the Gayer-Anderson Museum in Cairo, Egypt, and a beautiful ancient Egyptian cat statue, called the Gayer-Anderson cat, which is now at the British Museum in London.

Early Life and Career

Robert Gayer-Anderson was born on July 29, 1881, in Listowel, Ireland. He had an identical twin brother named Thomas.

When he was 17, in 1898, Robert started studying medicine at Guy's Hospital in London. After five years, he became a qualified surgeon and physician in 1903. He worked as an assistant surgeon for a short time. However, he wanted a more exciting life. So, he followed his twin brother Thomas and joined the British Royal Army Medical Corps in 1904.

Adventures in Egypt

In 1907, Gayer-Anderson joined the Egyptian Army as a major. At that time, Britain had control over Egypt. He worked as a surgeon in a place called Abbassia. Robert quickly fell in love with Egypt. He learned to speak Arabic and started buying old objects from antique shops.

After two years, he went back to England for a break. But he realized he missed Egypt and wasn't interested in medicine anymore. So, in 1909, he returned to Egypt. This time, he worked as an inspector for the Egyptian Army. This job allowed him to travel all over the country. As he traveled, he collected more and more ancient items and learned a lot about them.

Gayer-Anderson served in Egypt and during World War I (1914–1918). Later, he held important government jobs in Egypt. After Egypt became independent in 1922, he even traveled with King Fuad to different parts of the country. He retired from the Egyptian government in 1923, when he was 42. He planned to spend his time studying old things, writing, and creating poetry.

The Gayer-Anderson Cat

One of the most famous items linked to Gayer-Anderson is a bronze statue of a cat. It shows the ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet in the shape of a cat. This statue is very old, made around 600 BC, and was probably used in a temple. Gayer-Anderson bought this beautiful cat statue in 1934. He later gave it to the British Museum in 1939, where it is still one of the most popular things to see.

Creating a Museum

In 1924, Gayer-Anderson bought an old house in England called Little Hall. It was built in the late 1300s. When his health started to get worse in the mid-1930s, he thought about moving there. He sent many of his collected items to the house. His brother Thomas was already living there.

In 1935, he visited two old buildings in Cairo, Egypt, that were being repaired. They were from the 1500s and were known as Beit al-Kretilya, or "the House of the Cretan Woman." He was able to get a special agreement to live in them for his whole life. He continued to fix up the buildings and filled them with his amazing collection of ancient objects.

In 1942, he moved back to England permanently. He then gave his special agreement for the house and all its contents to the Egyptian nation. In 1943, the King of Egypt, King Farouk, gave Gayer-Anderson the special title of Pasha. The house then became known as the Gayer-Anderson Pasha Museum of Oriental Arts and Crafts. Today, it is simply called the Gayer-Anderson Museum.

Personal Life

At some point, Robert Gayer-Anderson and his twin brother Thomas officially changed their last name from Anderson to Gayer-Anderson. Their other siblings kept the name Anderson. Robert Gayer-Anderson passed away from a heart attack in June 1945. The Little Hall Museum in England now shows some of the items collected by the Gayer-Anderson brothers.

Gallery

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  The Gayer-Anderson cat at the British Museum.

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  Inside one of the rooms at the Gayer-Anderson Museum in Cairo.

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  Little Hall, Lavenham, Suffolk, England.