Marcelle Werbrouck (23 May 1889 – 1 August 1959) was the first woman Belgian

Egyptologist Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , ''-logia''; ) is the scientific study of ancient Egypt. The topics studied include ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end ...

. Her subjects of research were often related the study of prominent goddesses and women of ancient Egypt. Her first important work was dedicated to the ''kites,''

professional mourners Professional mourning or paid mourning is a type of public performance in which actors pretend to grieve for the recently deceased, with the goal of being indistinguishable from real mourners. As an occupation it originates from Egyptian, Chines ...

(always women) who were paid to lament loudly throughout the burial proceedings. She became later interested in Pharaonic architecture during her study of the temple of Queen

Hatshepsut Hatshepsut ( ; BC) was the sixth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, Egypt, ruling first as regent, then as queen regnant from until (Low Chronology) and the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Thutmose II. She was Egypt's second c ...

Deir el-Bahri Deir el-Bahari or Dayr al-Bahri (, , ) is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor, Egypt. This is a part of the Theban Necropolis. History Deir el-Bahari, located on the west ...

. Werbouck took part in many missions to the archaeological site of

El-Kab Elkab, also spelled El-Kab or El Kab, is an Upper Egyptian site on the east bank of the Nile at the mouth of the Wadi Hillal about south of Luxor (ancient Thebes). Elkab was called Nekheb in the Egyptian language ( , ), a name that refers to ...

in 1936-1937 and 1937-1938, during which she contributed largely to the study of Egyptian divinities and more particularly the goddess

Nekhbet Nekhbet (; also spelt Nekhebet) is an early predynastic local goddess in Egyptian mythology, who was the patron of the city of Nekheb (her name meaning ''of Nekheb''). Ultimately, she became the patron of Upper Egypt and one of the two patron ...

Career

Daughter of the Belgian general Werbrouck, Marcelle Werbrouck was born in Antwerp on 23 May 1889. She followed courses at the Sorbonne, at the College of France, at the Ecole du Louvre, with teachers like

Georges Aaron Bénédite Georges Aaron Bénédite (10 August 1857 26 March 1926) was a French Egyptologist and curator at the Louvre. He was born at Nîmes, the son of Samuel Bénédite and Isabelle Bénédite born Lisbonne, whose second husband Georges Lafenestre, was ...

and

Gaston Maspero Sir Gaston Camille Charles Maspero (23 June 1846 – 30 June 1916) was a French Egyptologist and director general of excavations and antiquities for the Egyptian government. Widely regarded as the foremost Egyptologist of his generation, he be ...

, and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes. During her studies, she became interested in ancient civilizations. She specialized in ancient Egypt after meeting with Belgian Egyptologist

Jean Capart Jean Capart (February 21, 1877 – June 16, 1947) was a Belgium, Belgian Egyptologist, who is often considered the "Father of Belgian Egyptology". Biography Capart was born to Alphonse Capart, an Otorhinolaryngology, otolaryngologist, and Alid ...

. After graduating from the

École du Louvre The École du Louvre () is a selective institution of higher education and prestigious ''grande école'' located in the Aile de Flore of the Louvre Palace in Paris, France. It is dedicated to the study of archaeology, art history, anthropology ...

, she earned her PhD at the Institut Royal d'Histoire de l'Art et d’Archéologie de Bruxelles where she taught for several years. Marcelle Werbrouck was decorated with the ''médaille de reconnaissance de la

Croix-Rouge française Croix-Rouge station () was the first terminus of Paris Métro Line 10, Line 10 of the Paris Métro. It opened in 1923, but closed in 1939. The station was situated in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, between Sèvres–Babylone (Paris Métro), ...

'' after World War I. Werbrouck worked closely with Capart and contributed directly to the development of Egyptology in Belgium. She took part in Capart's works on

Thebes Thebes or Thebae may refer to one of the following places: *Thebes, Egypt, capital of Egypt under the 11th, early 12th, 17th and early 18th Dynasties *Thebes, Greece, a city in Boeotia *Phthiotic Thebes Phthiotic Thebes ( or Φθιώτιδες Θ ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

and the toumb of

Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...

. She became the first president of the second Belgian club of

Soroptimist International Soroptimist International (SI) , founded in 1921, is a global volunteer service for women with almost 66,000 members in 118 countries worldwide. Soroptimist International also offers Associate Membership and E-Clubs. Soroptimist International h ...

, a worldwide volunteer service organization for business and professional women in December 1938. Pleureuses Saqqara

At the death of Capart in 1947, she succeeded him as head of the Egyptian Antiquities section of the Royal Museums of Art and History from 1925 to 1954 and as head of the

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

Egyptological Foundation, which she helped to establish. She was appointed secretary at its creation and became deputy director in 1933 before replacing Capart in 1947.''Chronique d'Égypte'', 1934, 17; 1948, 45-46 After World War II, she had to gradually reduce her teachings because of growing fatigue. She died unexpectedly in

Issoire Issoire (; Auvergnat: ''Issoire'', ''Ussoire'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. Geography Issoire is located on the river Couze, near its confluence with the Allier, SSE of Clermont-Ferrand on the ...

, Auvergne, France on 1 August 1959.

Publications

* "Le costume féminin au temps des Pharaons", in La Femme Belge, 1923, 1 (édition A), p. 21-36. * "À la tombe de Tout-Ankh-Amon", in Vaillante Jeunesse, 1924, 336, p. 112-114. * "Promenade à Thèbes et visite à Toutankhamon", in Bulletins des Facultés Catholiques de l'Ouest, 1924, 32 (1), p. 55-57. * "Rapports de Marcelle Werbrouck, chargée de Mission de la Fondation Rein Élisabeth en Égypte 1923-1924", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1925, 1, p. 26-47. * CAPART, Jean, Thèbes, la gloire d'un grand passé, Bruxelles : Vromant & Co, 1925. * "La Maison égyptienne", in La Femme belge, 1926, 10, p. 739-745. * "L'Égypte moderne", in Vaillant Jeunesse, 1926, 361, p. 172-176. * "Le Mobilier", in La Femme belge, 1926, 2-3, p. 75-84. * en collaboration avec CAPART, Jean, Thebes, the Glory of a Great Past, New York : Lincoln Mac Veagh, The Dial Press, 1926. * Thèbes, la gloire d'un grand passé expliquée aux enfants, Bruxelles : Vromant & Co, 1926. * Thebes, the Glory of a Great Past. Little Book for Everybody, Londres : G. Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1926. * Impression de voyage. Les élèves", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1927, 4, p. 132-136. * "Les pleureuses du tombeau de Mera", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1927, 5, p. 48-51. * Thebe, De Roem van een groot Verleden aan de kinderen uitgelegd, Bruxelles : Vromant & Co, 1927. * "Trésors antiques", in Vaillante Jeunesse, 1928, 380, p. 73-76. * "Clair de lune, ciel étoilé", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1929, 8, p. 206-208. * "La tombe de Nakht", in Bulletin des Musées royaux d'art et d'histoire", 1929, 3, p. 58-61. * "Trois types de l'Égypte d'autrefois", in Bulletin des Musées royaux d'art et d'histoire, 1929, 5, p. 90-94. * "Un buste royal égyptien aux Musées du Cinquantenaire", in La Revue d'Art, 1929, 2, p. 73-75. * "La tombe de Nakht", in collaboration with van de WALLE, Baudouin, Bruxelles : Édition de la Fondation égyptologique Reine Élisabeth, 1929. * Léopold II et l'Égyptologie", in La Gaule, 1930, 3, p. 76-79. * "Un peu d'égyptologie", in L'Indépendance, 1930, p. 30-33. * "Un vase en verre d'El Amarna", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1930, 2, p. 38-40. * Memphis à l'ombre des pyramides, in collaboration with Jean Capart, Bruxelles : Vromant & Co, 1930. * "Horus "à la huppe", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1931, 5, p. 150-151. * "Le Syrien vaincu", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1931, 6, p. 154-156. * "Un fragment de sculpture d'un type rare", in Actes du XVIIIe Congrès international des orientalistes, Leyde, 1931, p. 80. * "La tombe de Nakht", in La Sève, 1932, 1, p. 25-28. * "Ostraca à figures", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1932, 5, p. 106-109. * "Rapport de Mlle Marcelle Werbrouck, chargée de mission de la Fondation Reine Elisabeth", in Chronique d'Égypte, 13-14, 1932, p. 14-20. * "À propos du dieu Bes", in Egyptian Religion, 1933, I (1), p. 28-32. * "Remaniements et dépôts récents dans la 1re section (Antiquité)", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1933, 6, p. 140-141. * "Un vase en forme de dieu Bès", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1933, 2, p. 38-39. * "Aux fouilles de l'Egypt Exploration Society" à Tell el Armanah", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1934, 18, p. 228-230. * "Deux fragments de la tombe de Ramose", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1934, 2, p. 44-46. * "L'oiseau dans les tombes thébaines", in Mémoires publiés par les membres de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale du Caire, 1934, LXVI, p. 21-25. * "Ostraca à figures", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1934, 6, p. 138-140. * "Une merveille", in L'Art et la Vie, 1934, 6, p. 330-341. * "La collection Léopold II", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1935, 3, p. 63-67. * "Sprzety staro zytnego Egiptu", in Arkady, 1936, II (11), p. 618-623. * "La décoration murale du temple des Mentouhotep", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1937, 2, p. 36-44. * "Les récentes découvertes de l'Égyptologie", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1937, 24, p. 128. * "Des signes "ankh", "dad", et "ouas" réunis, superposés ou combinés", in Actes du XXe Congrès des Orientalistes, Bruxelles, 1938, p. 79-82. * "Deux bas-reliefs d'Ancien Empire", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1938, 6, p. 137-141. * Les pleureuses de l'Égypte ancienne, Bruxelles : Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth, 1938. * "Nécrologie. Mrs Griffith", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1938, 25, p. 133. * "Ostraca à figures", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1939, 2, p. 41-45. * "Les multiples formes du dieu Bès", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1939, 4, p. 77-82. * "Iconographie de Nekhabit", in Fouilles de El-Kab. Documents, Bruxelles : Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth, 1940, p. 46-60. * "Princesse égyptienne", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1940, 30, p. 197-204. * "À propos du disque ailé", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1941, 32, p. 165-171. * "Archéologie de Nubie", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1941, 1, p. 15-21. * "Un collier royal de la XVIIIe dynastie pharaonique", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1941, 6, p. 133-136. * "Archéologie de Nubie. Napata", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1942, 2, p. 26-36. * "Essai de reconstitution de la stèle Oup", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1943, 1-2, p. 27-34. * "Archéologie de Nubie", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1945, 1-6, p. 2-9. * "La Ménagère des Pharaons", in La Femme, la Vie, le Monde, 1946, I (5), p. 8-10. * "Jean Capart (1877-1947)", in Archives, Bibliothèques et Musées de Belgique, 1947, XVIII (2), p. 147-150. * "Jean Capart et la Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1947, 44, p. 192-196. * "Une stèle égyptienne du temps d'Akhenaton", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1947, 4-6, p. 80-82. * Catalogue de la collection égyptologique Walters", Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire, 1948, XXVI, 4, p. 1291-1295. * "Le souvenir et la relève des Maîtres : Jean Capart", in Sept Arts, 1948, 2. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1948, 45-46, p. 7-12. * "Une tête royale égyptienne : Hatshepsout", in Actes du XXIe Congrès international des orientalistes, Paris, 1948, p. 81. * "Animaux sacrifiés", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1949, 1-6, p. 58-59. * "À propos de "Lusus naturae", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1949, 47, p. 95. * Le temple d'Hatshepsout à Deir el Bahari, Bruxelles : Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth, 1949. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1949, 47, p. 5-9. * "Stèle au quatre Montou", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1949, 48, p. 285-287. * "Une statuette d'Égyptien", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1949, 1-6, p. 55-57. * "Le temple de Qasr es-Sagha", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1950, 50, p. 199-208. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1950, 49, p. 6-14. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1951, 51, p. 7-14. * "Statuette d'un génie de Pé", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1951, 1-6, p. 23-24. * "La déesse Nekhbet et la reine d'Égypte", Archiv Orientální, 1952, XX, p. 197-203. * "Le Cirque de Deir el Bahari", in Reflets du Monde, 1952, 1, p. 1-16. * "L'esprit de Pé", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1952, p. 43-50. * "Nécrologie. Marie Weynants-Ronday", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1952, 53, p. 145-147. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1950, 49, p. 6-14. * "Salle de Nubie", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1952, p. 5-11. * "Ostraca à figures", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1953, 25e année, p. 93-111. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1953, XXVIII 55, p. 5-9. * "Quelques monuments d'Aménophis Ier à El-Kab", in Fouilles de El-Kab. Documents, Bruxelles : Fondation égyptologique Reine Élisabeth, 1954, p. 99-102. * "Quelques ostraca inédits du Musée de Bruxelles", in Proceedings of the twenty-third International Congress of Orientalists, Cambridge, 1954, p. 67. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1954, XXIX, 57, p. 5-9. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1955, 59, p. 6-10. * "Témoignage de l'intérêt que la Reine Élisabeth porte aux sciences : la Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth", in Une Grande Dame de notre temps : la reine Élisabeth, 1955, p. 13. * "The symbolism of egyptian Ceiling Paintings, in Egypt Travel Magazine, 1955, 10, p. 44-45. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1956, XXXI, 61, p. 8-11. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1957, XXXII, 63, p. 9-12. * "Cônes funéraires de Kaemimen", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1958, XXXIII, 66, p. 223-226. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1958, XXXIII, 65, p. 8-14. * "Un Syrien contemporain de Toutkhamon", in Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1958, 30ème année, p. 102-104. * "Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth. Rapport de la directrice", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1959, XXXIV, 67, p. 7-13. * "Un groupe de deuillants à la XVIIIe dynastie", in Chronique d'Égypte, 1959, 68, p. 203-207.

Bibliography

* BRUFFAERTS Jean-Michel, "Marcelle Werbrouck ou l’égyptologie belge au féminin", in: Doyen Florence, Preys René et Quertinmont Arnaud (dirs.), "Sur le chemin du ‘Mouseion’ d’Alexandrie. Études offertes à Marie-Cécile Bruwier", Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, CENiM, 2018, p. 43-71 (Cahiers de l’ENiM). * GILBERT Pierre, "Marcelle Werbrouck. Anvers 23 mai 1889 -Issoire 1er août 1959", in: : Chronique d'Égypte, 1959, 34, 187-202. * GILBERT Pierre, "Rapport du directeur", in: Chronique d'Égypte, 1960, 35, 5-9.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Werbrouck, Marcelle 1889 births 1959 deaths Belgian Egyptologists Belgian women archaeologists