Following the success of King Tut’s 2005–2007 U.S. tour, another round of ancient Egyptian treasures is now making its way through the U.S. Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs showcases even more finds from Tut’s famous tomb, as well as a host of treasures from the tombs and palaces of Egypt’s most renowned pharaohs, including Khephren and Hatshepsut.
Among the more than 130 artifacts on display, many never before seen in the U.S., are finely crafted Egyptian statues and jewelry, the golden death mask of Psusennes I and a 10-foot-tall statue of Tut himself. Thanks to recent CT scans of Tut’s mummy, visitors can also examine a life-like, three-dimensional portrait of the king.
The new exhibit will be on view in Atlanta’s Civic Center through the winter and spring and will then move to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis for the summer.
National Gallery of Art
Washington, DC
(202) 737–4215
www.nga.gov
Continuing through March 22, 2009
Pompeii and the Roman Villa brings together more than 150 exquisite works of art recovered from the stately villas of Pompeii and Herculaneum, two Roman seaside towns that were completely destroyed—but also breathtakingly preserved—by the sudden eruption of Italy’s Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
The eruption and the resulting layers of lava and ash preserved forever the art, architecture and daily life of some of ancient Rome’s most well-heeled and cosmopolitan towns. This exhibit showcases the many vibrant sculptures, paintings, mosaics and decorative pieces that adorned their luxurious abodes, gardens and private venues, including some recent discoveries that are being exhibited in the U.S. for the first time.
The Morgan Library and Museum
New York, New York
(212) 685–0008
www.themorgan.org
Continuing through March 29, 2009
This exhibit celebrates the art that has adorned the covers and bindings of Biblical manuscripts from the Middle Ages to the present. More than just protective covers, bookbindings have provided an ideal canvas for artists and craftsmen across the centuries to pay artistic homage to the power of the words inside.
Among the more than 50 bindings on display is a bejeweled ninth-century cover from the Lindau Gospels of Carolingian Europe depicting in gold Jesus’ crucifixion and nearly a dozen figures in mourning. Visitors to the exhibit can also see one of the finest examples of medieval Coptic binding, an eighth-century cover of the Gospels found near the Monastery of St. Michael in Egypt.
Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center
Atlanta, Georgia
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