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Egyptian, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (ca. 1353-1335 B.C.). Colossal Statue of Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten. Karnak East, Temple of Gempaaten. Sandstone. H. 205 cm (80.7 in.). Egyptian Museum, Cairo. © Sandro Vannini. |
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Egyptian, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (ca. 1332-1323 B.C.). Funerary Figure (Shabti) of Tutankhamun (detail). Gilded wood. H. 51.6 cm (20.3 in.). Egyptian Museum, Cairo. © Sandro Vannini. |
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| Egyptian, Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 21 (1039-991 B.C.). Funerary Mask of Psusennes I. Tanis. Gold inlaid with lapis lazuli and black and white glass. H. 48 cm (18.9 in.). Egyptian Museum, Cairo. © Sandro Vannini. |
Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs Travels to Toronto and DenverBy STAN PARCHIN
September 21, 2009
The next two North American stops for the ticketed exhibition
Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs are the
Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto (November 24, 2009-April 18, 2010) and the
Denver Art Museum in Colorado (July 1, 2010-January 2, 2011). The AGO is the sole Canadian museum to host the display of more than 130 artifacts related to the famous boy-king, other ancient Egyptian rulers, their high priests and court officials.
The artifacts on view, derived from royal and private tombs as well as temples, date from 2600 to 660 B.C. This exhibition differs significantly from
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, presently at the M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco, California (June 27, 2009-March 28, 2010) and concluding its American tour at the Discovery Times Square Exposition facility in New York (April-December 2010). The latter show is devoted to the young monarch and his immediate predecessors of Egypt's 18th Dynasty.
Included in
Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs are antiquities that belonged to some of Egypt's most important rulers: Khufu (Dynasty 4), whose Great Pyramid lies on the Giza plateau; the enigmatic and monotheistic Akhenaten (Dynasty 18); and Psusennes I (Dynasty 21), represented by his magnificent gold death mask.
Four galleries are devoted to some 50 astonishing treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb, including jewelry, furniture, weapons and statuary. Also on view is a painted 10-foot-tall sculpture of the adolescent king, unearthed at the funerary temple of two of his officials and the largest image of the pharaoh ever discovered.
The installation ends with a discussion of new scientific discoveries about Tutankhamun's life and death, a result of three-dimensional CT scans taken of the monarch's mummy.
"Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" was previously at the Atlanta Civic Center in Georgia (November 15, 2008-May 25, 2009) and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis (June 27-October 25, 2009). Other venues will be announced. SourceHawass, Zahi, et al.
Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs (exh. cat.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2008.