Art History Extra Credit
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Anthony Vassallo Art 101 Prof. Erickson December 6, 2009 King Tut Exhibit Extra Credit Essay
I recently visited the King Tut exhibit in San Francisco and was fascinated by what I was able to see. Although I thought that the exhibit was a bit small, I appreciated what was included. Many different statues, structures and other forms of art commanded my attention as I made my way through the exhibit especially since I had seen the pictures of these structures in class and in my textbook. I thought the most interesting aspect of the exhibit was the organization of King Tut’s life. While walking on my way to another room, I noticed a ritual headrest. I learned that the Egyptians slept on wooden headrests wrapped in cloth, not exactly similar to the one featured in the exhibit. The headrest that I saw was made of glass and probably was made for the rich for use in the afterlife. I was intrigued by the fact that Egyptians slept differently according to their economic statuses in a way that humans do today. For example, a more affluent American might have a “Tempurpedic” or “Sleep Number” bed just like an ancient Egyptian might have had a nicer headrest if he were wealthier. In addition to visiting the exhibit for my art history class, I was hoping to find art that captured the accomplishments of Tutankhamun’s rule. Luckily, I came across a statue of Horus
the Elder. I learned that one of the feature of tradition that Tut returned to Egyptian culture was the belief system. The young king did this for his people because his predecessor (and perhaps father), Akhenaten, radically changed Egyptian religion to a monotheistic religion, which consisted of the pharaoh as a sort of high priest and Atep as the sun god. I couldn’t imagine being an ancient Egyptian conflicted between two completely different belief systems because of a shift in control over Egypt (when Tut became king). After learning a bit about the everyday life and Tut’s rule, I wanted to investigate more about his death. I came across a coffinette for the viscera of Tut. The methods that ancient Egyptians used to preserve corpses have always been of interest to me, so it was fascinating to learn that this coffinette contained his liver. The liver is just one of four of the organs that Aye made sure he’d restore; the other three were the lungs, stomach and intestines. But what struck me the most about the coffinette is the symbolism behind it. The structure signifies Tut’s lasting history and ensures a form of record keeping for future generations (even millennia later) that is achieved through art’s ability to communicate history. Visiting the King Tut exhibit was overall a great experience for me. I was able to identify the same structures that I had studied in class so it was an excellent opportunity to apply my newly acquired knowledge of Egyptian art history to my personal leisure. My only request is that the individuals in charge of the exhibit expand it so that visitors leave with a greater appreciation for such a remarkable period in art history.
I recently visited the King Tut exhibit in San Francisco and was fascinated by what I was able to see. Although I thought that the exhibit was a bit small, I appreciated what was included. Many different statues, structures and other forms of art commanded my attention as I made my way through the exhibit especially since I had seen the pictures of these structures in class and in my textbook. I thought the most interesting aspect of the exhibit was the organization of King Tut’s life. While walking on my way to another room, I noticed a ritual headrest. I learned that the Egyptians slept on wooden headrests wrapped in cloth, not exactly similar to the one featured in the exhibit. The headrest that I saw was made of glass and probably was made for the rich for use in the afterlife. I was intrigued by the fact that Egyptians slept differently according to their economic statuses in a way that humans do today. For example, a more affluent American might have a “Tempurpedic” or “Sleep Number” bed just like an ancient Egyptian might have had a nicer headrest if he were wealthier. In addition to visiting the exhibit for my art history class, I was hoping to find art that captured the accomplishments of Tutankhamun’s rule. Luckily, I came across a statue of Horus
the Elder. I learned that one of the feature of tradition that Tut returned to Egyptian culture was the belief system. The young king did this for his people because his predecessor (and perhaps father), Akhenaten, radically changed Egyptian religion to a monotheistic religion, which consisted of the pharaoh as a sort of high priest and Atep as the sun god. I couldn’t imagine being an ancient Egyptian conflicted between two completely different belief systems because of a shift in control over Egypt (when Tut became king). After learning a bit about the everyday life and Tut’s rule, I wanted to investigate more about his death. I came across a coffinette for the viscera of Tut. The methods that ancient Egyptians used to preserve corpses have always been of interest to me, so it was fascinating to learn that this coffinette contained his liver. The liver is just one of four of the organs that Aye made sure he’d restore; the other three were the lungs, stomach and intestines. But what struck me the most about the coffinette is the symbolism behind it. The structure signifies Tut’s lasting history and ensures a form of record keeping for future generations (even millennia later) that is achieved through art’s ability to communicate history. Visiting the King Tut exhibit was overall a great experience for me. I was able to identify the same structures that I had studied in class so it was an excellent opportunity to apply my newly acquired knowledge of Egyptian art history to my personal leisure. My only request is that the individuals in charge of the exhibit expand it so that visitors leave with a greater appreciation for such a remarkable period in art history.
