Groveport Messenger - March 26th, 2023

PAGE 4 - GROVEPORT MESSENGER - March 26, 2023
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King Tut exhibit comes to Columbus
By Linda Dillman
Staff Writer
Groveport
Messenger
BEST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER in Groveport
READ US ONLINE: www.columbusmessenger.com
Ancient Egyptian culture - with its royalty, treasures, and monumental
structures - is fascinating.
One can experience this rich history with a visit to the
“Tutanhkamun: His Tomb and his Treasures” exhibition at COSI,
333 W Broad St. in Columbus, and imagine oneself at Howard
Carter’s side when he discovered “wonderful things” in the tomb in
1922.
The young King Tut ascended the throne at age nine and a
decade later he was gone. Despite the short duration of his reign,
his legacy to the world, created more than 3,300 years ago,
endures in the artifacts found in the Valley of the Kings on Feb.
16, 1922.
The Tut exhibit, housed in a 15,000 square foot gallery space at
COSI until Sept. 4, started traveling the world a decade ago, but
COSI is its only stop in the United States during the 100-year
anniversary celebration of Carter’s discovery.
A childlike wonder fills visitors when they enter the gallery
space and see a true-to-scale reproduction of the vision that first
greeted Carter when he and his workers broke through a stone
entrance. A feeling of amazement rises when the lights come up on
the golden and alabaster replicas - ones that accompanied a boy as
he grew into a man before he was interred with them for what was
hoped to be eternity under the sands of Egypt.
An adjacent room presents a series of graduated gold shrines
and a quartzite sarcophagus situated like inscribed nesting dolls.
They lead to three coffins of precious metals and stones once
stacked inside the sarcophagus. The walls, like those in the actual
tomb, were embellished with reproductions of depictions of the
netherworld in colors delicately first rendered in the 18th dynasty.
And then there is a replica of the iconic 22 pound solid gold
funerary mask of Tutanhkamun, which was
originally adorned with real lapis lazuli,
carnelian, turquoise and obsidian. It was a
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work of art handcrafted by modern Egyptian
artisans with the painstaking accuracy of
the original.
Turning a corner, artifacts filled the next
gallery–there are a total of 1,000 throughout
the full exhibit–such as heirlooms in
the form of tiny gold coffins commemorating
Tutankhamun’s infant daughters, jewelry
and breastplates that adorned the king’s
mummy and four alabaster Canopic jars
holding Tut’s embalmed organs.
The jars were interred in a gilded canopic
shrine guarded by four goddesses articulately
dressed in bright gold with hands outspread.
The full size replicas also include a
breathtaking royal seat carved out of wood
and covered in gold and silver with semiprecious
stones and colored glass. Funerary
fans flank the chair–thought to be a possible
throne.
A full scale replica of a state chariot (one
theory proposes Tut died as a result of complications
from a chariot accident) stood
exactly as it was discovered in the tomb,
with broken straps and worn paint. It sat
regally alongside sandals featuring images
of Tut’s vanquished enemies on the soles of
the shoe.
The originals are national treasures,
fragile and are not on display while Egypt
awaits the late 2023 opening of their Grand
Egyptian Museum. However, the replicas
are as exquisite and worth more than one
trip to the exhibit.
Kelli Kinzig, COSI’s senior project manager,
said everything in the exhibit, from
the tiniest piece of jewelry to the golden
Photos courtesy of Shannon Elise Dillman
A replica of the iconic 22 pound solid gold funerary mask of
Tutanhkamun is one of 1,000 artifacts on display at the exhibit,
“Tutanhkamun: His Tomb and his Treasure,” at COSI.
A meticulous reproduction of Tut
on a boat.
shrines, is an exact replica
that allow visitors to get
close without glass cases
hindering the way.
According to Kinzig, the
project was 18 months in
development from an online
survey of possible exhibitions
to opening the doors to
the public on March 18.
When asked about
mounting an endeavor like
“Tutankhamun: His Tomb
and His Treasures,” Kinzig
said, “It was a 14-day installation
with 15 people such as
riggers, audio-visual, lighting
techs, artists, and
painters, working on it.”
A crew of experienced
workers travels with the
exhibit, which most recently
appeared in Belgium.
“It’s traveled all over the
world for multiple years,”
said Kinzig. “It’s produced by
Semmel, which is a German
company. It’s the same company
that created and produced
the Marvel exhibition (which ran for six months at COSI in
2021-22). I feel this exhibition is for all ages. I’m sure people will
see something unique.”
General admission combined with timed admission for the
Tutankhamun exhibit is $40 for ages 13 and up; $15 for teachers
with identification; $38 for military and ages 60 and older; $33 for
youth ages 2-12 and free for children under age 2. Reservations
available online at cosi.org/exhibits.