King Tutankhamun

The main reason we went to the California Science Museum was to see this exhibit: "KING TUT: Treasures of the Golden Pharoah"  This is the largest King Tut exhibition ever on tour, with 150 artifacts from the tomb of King Tutankhamun who lived in 1330 BC.  There were pieces of furniture on display which I did not photograph because the statuary was more interesting to me.  This figure, and some similar ones, are about 18" high, and just beautiful.  This statue represents the king throwing a harpoon - images and words were believed to come alive in the afterlife. 

This is a wood cane, covered in gold leaf and when the king holds it, he is seizing a prisoner (carved in the handle) by the neck, thus showing his dominion over his empire

These figures are absolutely stunning and represent the king doing heroic things.  Please click on each of these images to see them in more detail.

This is a guardian statue of the Ka of the King, made from wood.  His sandals and the uraeus on his head are made from bronze. This statue is nearly the actual size of a person.

This is a a detail of a colossal quartzite statue of Tutankhamun which is about ten feet tall, and which has been damaged.

This is a mirror case, in the form of an Ankh.  Mirrors were symbolic of resurection and eternal life.  The Ankh is the symbol of life - just the thing a king would want for his trip to the netherworld.