AdamSmith Posted January 24, 2015 Posted January 24, 2015 Truly unbelievable. Museum Curators Accidentally Ruin Priceless King Tut Burial Mask http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=61258 http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/23/king-tuts-mask-worlds-most-famous-archaeological-relic-has-been-irreversably-damaged/ http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0dad9fb502094fd09de4dd263662d4d0/beard-egypts-king-tut-hastily-glued-back-epoxy Quote
paulsf Posted January 24, 2015 Posted January 24, 2015 Several years ago I went to Cario and did a pyramids and museums sightseeing trip. I'm not a big museum person, but we did go to the Egypt Museum and saw the King Tut exhibition. It is one museum trip I still remember quite well. It's to bad so many problems politically in Cario, it's a fascinating city. Quote
AdamSmith Posted January 24, 2015 Author Posted January 24, 2015 Expert: King Tut's mask can be restored after epoxy used Sarah Lynch, Special for USA TODAY 4:38 p.m. EST January 24, 2015 (Photo: Mohamed El-Shahed, AFP/Getty Images) CAIRO — Egypt sought Saturday to calm concerns that King Tutankhamun's famous burial mask had been permanently marred after its beard broke off and was glued back on with epoxy. German restoration specialist Christian Eckmann told reporters at a news conference at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo that the mask is not endangered, adding it can be properly restored after the glue is removed. "It is a delicate operation," Eckmann said. "It has to be done very carefully, but it is reversible." The beard fell off in August when the mask was touched during an attempt to adjust the lighting in its case, Eckmann said. The mask was then transferred to the restoration desk. After an unsuccessful attempt to re-secure the piece, it was decided that epoxy resin should be used. The news of the marred mask didn't come to light until this week, but quickly ignited concern and outrage among Egyptologists and conservationists. "It's ridiculous," said Egyptologist Monica Hanna, who saw the mask Friday on display at the Egyptian Museum. The beard "has been glued back in a very bad manner. One centimeter of glue can be seen." A close-up of the burial mask of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun on display at the Cairo museum on Jan. 23, 2015. (Photo: Mohamed El-Shahed, AFP/Getty Images) The mask, which is more than 3,000 years old, is an icon of Egypt's Pharaonic history. Made of gold and inlaid with stone, faience and glass, it was placed over King Tutankhamun's face at the time of his burial. After a groundbreaking discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922 by archaeologists Howard Carter and George Herbert, the mask was found in the burial chamber. The tomb had been left almost entirely intact, unlike many others that had previously been looted. The mask's beard was loose when Carter discovered it and was re-affixed to the mask in 1941, Eckmann said. In the nearly 100 years since its discovery, the mask has been on display at the Egyptian Museum, located in the heart of Cairo. Speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear for professional reprisal, museum conservators told the Associated Press that an inappropriate material was used and that orders were given to fix the beard quickly "Unfortunately he used a very irreversible material — epoxy has a very high property for attaching and is used on metal or stone, but I think it wasn't suitable for an outstanding object like Tutankhamun's golden mask," one conservator said. It isn't just damage to the beard that has prompted concern: Another museum conservator told the Associated Press that a colleague used a spatula to remove epoxy that had dried on the face of the mask, causing scratches. On Saturday, Eckmann said he found one scratch on the mask, but added it was unclear whether it was ancient or new. Egyptologist Hanna said the measures taken to reattach the beard are a symptom of a system that lacks proper accountability. Among other concerns, stolen Egyptian artifacts have appeared in foreign auctions and an increased number of ancient sites have been looted since Egypt's four-year old uprising, which led to prolonged political unrest and a drop in security. "No one has been held accountable," Hanna said. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/01/24/egypt-king-tutankhamen-mask/22274967/ Quote
Members MsGuy Posted January 25, 2015 Members Posted January 25, 2015 Should have put a little gold leaf over the glue. Nobody would ever have noticed. lookin 1 Quote
