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.