The Toledo Museum of Art opened “Cursed! The Power of Magic in the Ancient World” on March 21, a touring exhibition exploring how ancient peoples used magic for protection, healing, curses, and to influence forces they believed governed life and death. The show runs through July 5, 2026.
The exhibition features artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, including carved ivory wands, magical papyri, inscribed gems, and lead curse tablets. Objects on display have been loaned from institutions including the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as from the Toledo Museum’s own collection. The show was guest curated by Jeffrey Spier, former senior curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
The exhibition traces how magical practices functioned across Mediterranean civilizations over thousands of years, from protective amulets to binding spells inscribed on thin sheets of lead. Tickets are available through the Toledo Museum of Art website.
Source: National Today / Toledo Museum of Art