The Tutankamun treasures of the golden pharaoh exhibition is on at the Saatchi Gallery at the Duke of York’s Head Quarters, King’s Road, London, SW3 4RY. This stunning collection of the Egyptian boy kings glittering personal possessions is on its final tour until 3rd May 2020.
“The legend of Tutankhamun captured imaginations globally when his tomb was unearthed by British explorer Howard Carter and financier Lord Carnarvon in 1922.” (1)
The production is organised by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and IMG in collaboration with Viking Cruises. Due to the demand to see these rare artworks, the show is open every day, and stays open until 7.30pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
These unique and glorious wonders appeal to people of all ages and cultures including small children. Their history is fascinating and it is a chance to gain a glimpse into the way people lived thousands of years ago in the Middle East.
Over 1.4 million people attended the earlier Tutankhamun event in France, which was a national record. Many people rated the experience as “amazing” and “mind blowing” and the authentic objects from from over 3000 years ago are certainly breathtakingly beautiful.
The craftsmanship, artistry and skills that this sophisticated civilisation mastered are demonstrated in the magical and exquisite designs on display, all painstakingly archived and transported from the original tomb.
The creative use of materials used to construct the sculptural and spiritual objects is shown to the public in detail and up close.
The are 150 artefacts to see and the average time for visitors to explore them is around 90 minutes. The show is constructed of a series of several dark rooms with glass cabinets and plinths, displaying the young sovereign’s favourite gleaming and jewel encrusted items. The curation is impressive and the accompanying virtual reality filming is successful too. Each element is carefully spotlit to reveal all its fine decorated features.
Solid gold and shiny gilt painted wood is embellished with precious gems such as turquoise, carnelian and lapis lazuli. Colourful stones are used for embellishing many of the masks, figures, animals, boxes and jewellery.
The Egyptian’s believed that the articles placed in Tutankhamun’s tomb would ease his journey through to the next world and also please many of the Gods that they were worshipping at that time.
The famous Funerary Mask still resides in the Egyption museum in Cairo ready for the entire collection to be viewed together at the new Grand Egyption Museum that is being built this year. At the Saatchi gallery in London one of the most important and priceless pieces is the Canopic Coffinette of Tutankhamun which is a “small vessel used to contain internal organs”. (1)
It is brilliant that these fantastic finds from the ancient Egyptian coffins unearthed by the English and Egyptian archaeologists nearly 100 years ago have been able to travel to both Europe and the UK’s capitol city.
“Make the most of it as the exhibits won’t be leaving Egypt again soon.” (2)
Tutankhamun will now be remembered forever and this exhibition ensures generations around the world can appreciate this incredible civilisation and the part the Egyptian’s had to play in our historical evolution. Visitors will certainly gain educational knowledge. Attendees at this special celebration of the young emperor may be more inspired to look after our planet in the future and its irreplaceable and valuable riches, for posterity.
(1) Official Tutankhamun website Tutankhamun in London website
(2) The Daily Telegraph, ‘The Hot List, Tutankhamun’ Chris Leadbeater 20 Oct 2019 Tutankhamun at The Telegraph