TRAV - "Yes, wonderful things"
OK. My blog is getting way too political. I can't resist speculating here if the Egyptians are trying to prove their friendship with us and/or win back tourism post-9/11.
Regardless of their motives, they sent the exhibition. Unlike the earlier exhibition in the '70s (which I don't recall seeing at that time--probably because I was five when it ended), this time, they didn't send the "full collection"--among the things not sent were Tutankhamun's death mask and his coffin. My overall impression of the exhibit is that it was smaller than I expected, even knowing the more limited nature going in, and that there were fewer gold objects than I expected. I'm not sure just how much I was expecting or, for that matter, what percentage of artifacts they sent, but it seemed to me they weren't showing that many pieces. (That said, the exhibit was quite crowded--they might have had space problems had they displayed more artifacts.) I was also surprised how many pre-Tutankhamun pieces were included in the exhibition--there were two full rooms that dealt with the previous generations leading up to him.
The craftsmanship of the articles was amazing. It's important to remember that these things are almost 3500 years old! I have stuff I bought last year that isn't in as good shape. I don't mean to suggest all things Egyptian are better than all things modern--remember this is the very best of what they made, and it was built to last since it was for the afterlife. One wonders, though, how much of what's made today will last that long in any sort of beautiful or usable form.
It's still--despite being very expensive ($25--not including the audio guide)--worth seeing the exhibition if you get the chance. (It's only coming to four U.S. cities--it has already been through Los Angeles, and it's not going to New York at all--so it's not the easiest show to catch.)
There were a few articles that I thought worthy of particular comment (for a complete list of tomb artifacts, consult the Howard Carter archives, though many of those articles were not in this exhibition):
The two gold images of Lady Tjuya (Tutankhamun's great-grandmother)--her coffin and funeral mask--were particularly beautiful works. If they're even close to accurate depictions, she was a very, very attractive woman in her youth (the age her artist chose to depict). In any case, the likeness is flattering--it's one of the best artistic depictions of feminine beauty among all artworks I know.
There was one cosmetic jar in particular- that caught my attention--a lion seated on the lid symbolized the Egyptians, but the conquered Nubians' and Syrians' anguished heads formed the feet of the jar. I can't help but wonder why the Egyptians depicted themselves in symbolic animal form while their enemies merited human form. To me, that makes no sense. (Why not depict the foes as, say, mice or frogs?)
In the same room as the cosmetic jar and opposite to it, there were three vases/jars. One of them, a light-blue one, was one of the most beautiful shades of blue I've seen--if I had to pick my favorite color, that would likely be it. The two darker blue vases--one which looked like a teapot--were also a beautiful shade. (Now, you get to see my memory elude me: I thought the one I particularly liked was called a "Het Jar"--but I'm not sure, and the term "heset vase" keeps coming up in my search. One of the others was called a "Nemset jar." Since the Howard Carter Archives pictures are black and white and the color is what drew me to them, those pictures are of less value anyway--though I'd like to have been able to link to the object anyway. In any case I can't locate it at the moment.)
If I had to pick out one favorite article from Tutankhamun's tomb in the exhibit, I'd point to the gold dagger (I think this is the one). The sheath and handle were very finely worked. I don't imagine Tutankhamun had much call to personally stab people, but I imagine he'd have been wise to carry a dagger in case his guards abandoned him. If this was the one he had in life, he chose well--it is an elegant piece.
(BTW--if you were wondering, the quote I used for the title is what Harold Carter said when asked if he could see anything upon looking into King Tutankhamun's tomb for the first time.)
Regardless of their motives, they sent the exhibition. Unlike the earlier exhibition in the '70s (which I don't recall seeing at that time--probably because I was five when it ended), this time, they didn't send the "full collection"--among the things not sent were Tutankhamun's death mask and his coffin. My overall impression of the exhibit is that it was smaller than I expected, even knowing the more limited nature going in, and that there were fewer gold objects than I expected. I'm not sure just how much I was expecting or, for that matter, what percentage of artifacts they sent, but it seemed to me they weren't showing that many pieces. (That said, the exhibit was quite crowded--they might have had space problems had they displayed more artifacts.) I was also surprised how many pre-Tutankhamun pieces were included in the exhibition--there were two full rooms that dealt with the previous generations leading up to him.
The craftsmanship of the articles was amazing. It's important to remember that these things are almost 3500 years old! I have stuff I bought last year that isn't in as good shape. I don't mean to suggest all things Egyptian are better than all things modern--remember this is the very best of what they made, and it was built to last since it was for the afterlife. One wonders, though, how much of what's made today will last that long in any sort of beautiful or usable form.
It's still--despite being very expensive ($25--not including the audio guide)--worth seeing the exhibition if you get the chance. (It's only coming to four U.S. cities--it has already been through Los Angeles, and it's not going to New York at all--so it's not the easiest show to catch.)
There were a few articles that I thought worthy of particular comment (for a complete list of tomb artifacts, consult the Howard Carter archives, though many of those articles were not in this exhibition):
The two gold images of Lady Tjuya (Tutankhamun's great-grandmother)--her coffin and funeral mask--were particularly beautiful works. If they're even close to accurate depictions, she was a very, very attractive woman in her youth (the age her artist chose to depict). In any case, the likeness is flattering--it's one of the best artistic depictions of feminine beauty among all artworks I know.
There was one cosmetic jar in particular- that caught my attention--a lion seated on the lid symbolized the Egyptians, but the conquered Nubians' and Syrians' anguished heads formed the feet of the jar. I can't help but wonder why the Egyptians depicted themselves in symbolic animal form while their enemies merited human form. To me, that makes no sense. (Why not depict the foes as, say, mice or frogs?)
In the same room as the cosmetic jar and opposite to it, there were three vases/jars. One of them, a light-blue one, was one of the most beautiful shades of blue I've seen--if I had to pick my favorite color, that would likely be it. The two darker blue vases--one which looked like a teapot--were also a beautiful shade. (Now, you get to see my memory elude me: I thought the one I particularly liked was called a "Het Jar"--but I'm not sure, and the term "heset vase" keeps coming up in my search. One of the others was called a "Nemset jar." Since the Howard Carter Archives pictures are black and white and the color is what drew me to them, those pictures are of less value anyway--though I'd like to have been able to link to the object anyway. In any case I can't locate it at the moment.)
If I had to pick out one favorite article from Tutankhamun's tomb in the exhibit, I'd point to the gold dagger (I think this is the one). The sheath and handle were very finely worked. I don't imagine Tutankhamun had much call to personally stab people, but I imagine he'd have been wise to carry a dagger in case his guards abandoned him. If this was the one he had in life, he chose well--it is an elegant piece.
(BTW--if you were wondering, the quote I used for the title is what Harold Carter said when asked if he could see anything upon looking into King Tutankhamun's tomb for the first time.)
Labels: TRAVEL
posted by John at 3/10/2006 10:42:00 AM
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