Exhibition: More on Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs

http://tinyurl.com/2azky9 (nhregister.com)

"It’s sad that such a fascinating exhibition — and such a rare opportunity — hasn’t generated the pop-culture buzz and must-see fever that existed three decades ago. Still, since it opened in June 2005 in Los Angeles, then moved on to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Chicago, it has posted attendance records at each stop and been seen by more than 3 million. The Philadelphia run is already the biggest museum show in the city’s history.

But, some 8 million Americans saw The Treasures of Tutankhamun in the late ’70s. 'Tut' popped up in music, clothing, television, design, dance moves and even hairstyles. At the time, The New Yorker ran a mock interview with 'the boy king' and asked him what it was all about. Answer: 'It’s about gold, man.'

Indeed, lots of gold, flashy and glittery, is what I most remember about that exhibition — along with being able to snag the coveted tickets and the associated bragging rights. Glitz and gold isn’t the focus of the current show, which has a more scholarly and sedate manner, and that might account for its relative lack of renown. Yet, there indeed is gold on display. Mostly it is of the gold leaf, gilded-wood variety and in jewelry. Some of it is spectacular, such as the massive coffin of Tjuya. Much of it is exquisite, such as the gold work in a small coffinette — also employing carnelian, obsidian, glass and rock crystal — created to hold Tutankhamun’s viscera.

There’s much more than gold to keep you interested, though. Most striking to me was the link across time sparked by some of these ancient objects."

See the above for the full review.