Guardian statue of King Tutankhamun

Description

This life-sized statue of King Tutankhamun was one of an almost identical pair that once flanked the entrance to the burial chamber of the king’s tomb and acted as guardians for the tomb and also as the royal “Ka (soul) statues of the king. Made of wood, the statues are covered with black resin (to symbolize the fertile land) and the clothing, jewelry, mace and stuff are covered with gold leaf. Tutankhamun is depicted wearing a short kilt and sandals. The head is covered by the “Nemes headdress in one statue and the “Khat headdress on the other one, the forehead is protected by the uraeus, the cobra emblem of royalty. The eyebrows, rims of the eyes, and sandals are made of gilded bronze.