Identity area
Reference code
TAA ii.6.82
Title
Carrying Tutankhamun's "mannequin" in the Valley of the Kings
Date(s)
- 1923 (Creation)
Level of description
Item
Extent and medium
1 postcard
Context area
Name of creator
(1874-1939)
Name of creator
(1879-1940)
Name of creator
(1874-1928)
Name of creator
(1867-1945)
Name of creator
(1879-1963)
Name of creator
(23 April 1869 - 7 August 1949)
Archival history
Formerly with an online postcard dealer in the U.S.A. in August 2023.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
The Griffith Institute purchased the postcard in August 2023.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
- Postcard
- Photograph, photographer not known.
- The photograph was probably taken in early 1923; the postcard's production date is unknown, but it was almost certainly in the 1920s.
- (Carter 116)
- An Egyptian team member carrying the wooden portrait figure of Tutankhamun, the so-called "mannequin", from the King's tomb to the nearby "Laboratory" tomb (KV 15, of Sethos II) for cleaning and conservation. The man holding the bust is escorted by an armed guard and another Egyptian excavation team member, which was necessary to ensure the safe movement of objects through the Valley of the Kings following the announcement of the tomb's discovery, which attracted large crowds of journalists and tourists who flocked to Luxor hoping to see the tomb and view objects as they were being moved.
- The portrait bust of Tutankhamun [Carter 116] was found in the tomb's Antechamber. The King is portrayed wearing a yellow flat-topped crown featuring the centrally positioned uraeus on the crown's temple band. The King also wears a close-fitting white garment.
- The bust's purpose is unclear, but it probably displayed part of the King's regalia. A recent proposal is that it may have been originally used for supporting and storing the King's gold corset (Carter 54k) in the tomb. When thieves ransacked the tomb in antiquity, these robbers likely removed the corset from the bust before breaking the heavy regalia into smaller, portable pieces.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Property of the Griffith Institute. No restrictions.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Archived scan in Griffith Institute.
Related units of description
Publication note
Notes area
Note
- Acquired with TAA ii.6.72-81b, 83-7 (postcards from the same series).
Alternative identifier(s)
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Description control area
Description identifier
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Rules and/or conventions used
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Dates of creation revision deletion
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Digital object metadata
Filename
TAA_ii_6_82wm.jpg
Latitude
Longitude
Media type
Image
Mime-type
image/jpeg
Filesize
43.6 KiB
Uploaded
December 8, 2023 10:12 AM