From Egypt to London
In 1967, Egypt's President Nasser consented to a loan of objects
from Tutankhamun's tomb to the British Museum. The
exhibition date was set for 1972, to celebrate the 50th anniversary
of the discovery of
the tomb.
Among the star objects chosen for the exhibition were the gilded
wooden statuette of Tutankhamun harpooning, the small gilded shrine
and the gold mask from the head of the king’s mummy.
The objects were carefully assessed in Cairo before being
packed in airfreight crates and flown to England. The gold mask,
together with the other objects of the highest value, travelled in
a special high-security consignment on board a Royal Air Force
plane.
A whole suite of galleries on the upper floor of the British
Museum was vacated (the former Ethnography galleries, now Rooms 41
and 49–52) and new display cases installed to receive
the objects. Most of the exhibits were displayed individually so
they could be seen from
all sides.
