The famous German actress Tilla Durieux (née Otillia Godefroy, 1880-1971) gathered a large collection of various artistic artifacts, mostly during the first three decades of the 20th century. After Hitler had risen to power in Germany, she moved to Zagreb (in 1934), where she lived until 1952 when she moved to Berlin. Eleven years after Tilla's death, her heir Mrs. Erika Danhoff signed a document about the donation of the part of the collection to the city of Zagreb. The ceremony took place in the building of the Croatian parliament, and Mrs. Danhoff concluded it with the words: She (Tilla Durieux) loved Zagreb which was her town too during all these years, and she remained attached to it permanently. There are 19 artifacts of the former Tilla Durieux collection today in possession of the city of Zagreb. The curator Slavko Šterk is placed in charge of the artifacts.

The entire Tilla Durieux collection consisted of numerous artifacts from the different periods of the Egyptian history: the various scarabaei and amulets, several figurines of the Egyptian goddess Bastet, a statue of the priestess He-nid with a hieroglyphic inscription, and several small artifacts made of bronze. Of the Egyptian artifacts from the Tilla Durieux collection, there is only a head of a bronze statuette known as The Head of a Citizen (the 26th Saite dynasty; inv. num. MGZ 4759) kept today in the Museum of the City of Zagreb.

M.T.