Sandro Vannini's Photography - King Tut's Golden Death Mask
The Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun may just be the most stunning artefact from ancient times that archaeologists have ever excavated. The fact that King Tut was a mere minor Pharaoh leaves the funerary gifts offered to the great ones up to our imagination, insofar as imagining such splendour and richness both in value and craftsmanship. As the golden death mask is too fragile to travel, there is no way to see the famous mask unless you travel to Cairo - or is there? The closest you'll get to experiencing the real thing online is a collection of amazingly detailed photographs by Sandro Vannini, who has over time become an expert in capturing ancient Egyptian artefacts on film, and the virtual experience based on Sandro's photographs, the King Tut Virtual exhibition.
The Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun
'King Tut Mask' Slideshow
Heritage Key is working together with Sandro in making these images, that will arouse any Egyptophile, available on the internet. To watch a slideshow of King Tut's Death Mask, just click the image on the right.
See it for yourself in King Tut VX
To get an immersing, 360 degree view of the golden mask in 3D, all you need to do is get your avatar, go virtual and start exploring King Tut Virtual. The video below holds a quick preview, but this is nothing compared to standing directly next to the mask, close enough to (virtually) touch it.
Sandro Vannini's Photography
What makes Sandro's pics so sublime? Attention for detail and skills gathered over the years in snapping the Gold Mask of King Tut bring out its stunning gold and beautiful precious stones. Of course, the equipment Sandro uses plays a role too: a Hasselblad ELD Ixpress 528C camera. And, of course, the light setup: “Gold is a difficult material to photograph correctly, such as in this beautiful Golden Mask,” says Sandro. “There are so many different alloys, depending on the amount of gold and the combined metal used. All gold is a unique shade, requiring specific lighting set-ups.”
So for those of you who can’t make the trip to Cairo, we at Heritage Key offer these stunning photographs by world-class photographer Sandro Vannini which capture the beauty and magnificence of King Tutankhamun’s Golden Mask. But it doesn’t stop there: you can visit virtual replicas of the Golden Mask and other Tutankhamun treasures in the Heritage Key VX King Tut exhibition, which features a digital recreation of the breath-taking artefact.
Don't miss out on new treasures!
This post is just the first of many focussing on amazing photographs from ancient Egypt. Keep checking back as we’ll keep adding new images by Sandro Vannini. To make sure you don't miss out on any of the updates, simply subscribe by email to receive notifications when new images are uploaded. For the more digitally advanced, there's also an RSS feed with updates available.
Suggest a Featured Artefact
We're taking suggestions! Tell us which of King Tut's treasures you would love to see highlighted on Heritage Key, and we'll consult Sandro's extensive archives to see what we can find for you!
Ask Sandro
We'll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro leave them here as comments – we'll send the answers straight to you!
The Golden Mask: Facts & Figures
The Golden Mask, created in 1324 BC for the 18th Dynasty boy-king, was discovered when Howard Carter unearthed Tomb KV62 in the Valley of the Kings on his Lord Carnarvon-funded 1922 expedition. Carter had to make a decision whether to remove the mask and risk damaging the mummy, or leave it in place and exhibit the mummy with the mask. In the end the mask was removed and put on display, and its radiating beauty shines through these spectacular pictures.
Gold is the main element of the mask, with the bulk formed by two sheets hammered together; thought by the Ancient Egyptians to emulate the flesh of the gods. It was then shaped into a likeness of King Tut, replete with striped nemes headcloth. The headcloth was formed using inlays of semi-precious stones and coloured glass, which bring out its detail and vibrant colours.
The white eyes were made from quartz, while the pupils were produced from obsidian - with a little red paint used on the corners of the eyes to give them that edge of realism. The radiance of the mask was further enhanced by a sheer layer of silver-rich gold, added to the burnished surface of the face. These images by Sandro show very well the Lapis lazuli in the mask, responsible for the Pharaoh's deep blue eyebrows.
Upon discovery the earlobes of King Tut’s death mask were covered in gold foil, but this was later removed. The mask's forehead is adorned with a vulture and cobra made of solid gold with inlays of lapis lazuli, carnelian, faïence and glass, and represents the protective goddesses of Egypt (The vulture represented Upper Egypt, the cobra Lower). The long, curling beard of the mask, representing divinity, is made from blue glass with a frame of gold.
Engraved into the back and shoulders of the mask are ten lines of hieroglyphic text. These scribe a protection formula, referring to different parts of the body and how they relate to the mask - and its connection to gods and goddesses, thereby protecting King Tut’s body in the afterlife. Translated, the text reads:
“Your face is Anubis, your right eye is the night boat,
your left eye is the diurnal boat,
your eyebrows correspond to the companion of the nine gods.”
King Tutankhamun’s Mask has remained in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo since the 1980s, from where Dr. Zahi Hawass insists it’ll never be moved again due to its fragility. It remains the star attraction for the thousands who flock to the famed museum.
MOVIE: King Tut's Death Mask on display in Heritage Key VX
Click Play to watch a video of the Golden Mask in Heritage Key VX.
King Tut Virtual is one of the greatest discoveries you can make online. Click your mouse to travel across time and place to explore King Tutankhamun's tomb in the digital, online Valley of the Kings. Zoom-in and get up-close to some of the most amazing artefacts ever found. Wander the banks of Nile and enjoy a feeling of life in ancient times. The details and realism will astound you. You can invite your friends to join you on this adventure as well as meet people from all over the world in this exciting online environment. Explore the Boy King's treasures, go virtual and visit the King Tut exhibition now or learn more about Tutankhamun!
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hello this is a real interesting article on forgeries
excellent article !
Museum looks really great.
ediscovery
There are really lots of secrets in Egypt. I'm sure this is going to cost millions in auction.
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That's one scary mummy. Thanks for letting us know this. I find it really informational.
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Focus on
King Tut –
Stonehenge
Terracotta Warriors
Pyramids –
Archaeology
Britain –
China –
Egypt
Greece –
Rome
Heritage Key Words
ancient london, british museum, roman, art, zahi hawass, london, ancient egypt, religion, burial, valley of the kings
Next major 'ancient' exhibition in London:
Journey Through the Afterlife: The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead
at the British Museum
November 2010 - March 2011
(learn more)
Comments
It's amazing to have Sandro on board, the technicality of his work is astounding. Awesome to see it translated to the online world, too.
Its great to see the beauty of the ancient world photographed by a great photographer Sandro Vannini and sculpted into the virtual world for the next generations.
It's gorgeous, and truly stunning to see in-world. One of the most incredibly detailed pieces of sculpture I've seen in a virtual world environment.
The image is stunning, I was in love with King Tut when I was an 8 years old girl. The charm is still intact.
I saw the King Tut exhibition last year, and while that was pretty incredible, being able to walk through the VX Valley of the Kings, and to see the treasures on display in Heritage Key was a much more immersive experience on the whole. In Heritage Key, I could really look - all the way around - each of the artifacts, without being jostled by crowds or having to keep moving if i wanted to sit at Carters' desk and think a while. The detail in Vannini's photography drives this vx experience way past enriching, towards wonder. That's pretty cool.
You can't see the real deathmask anywhere any more, so it's a real treat to see these incredible images which capture the mask in such detail. The virtual version is amazing!
Rebecca, I thought it was on display in the Cairo Museum, am I mistaken?
im working on a death mask project. after watching that it gave me a lot of ideas on what 2 do.
im pretty sure ut is on dispaly at the cario meusam 2.
Hi JP, yes it is to be admired in the Cairo Museum: "As the golden death mask is too fragile to travel, there is no way to see the famous mask unless you travel to Cairo - or is there?"
Best of luck with your death mask project!
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This was very neat and a great article about King Tut. I am so happy to have found these things. The only problem was you spelled "artefact" wrong. Just to let you know the correct spelling is artifact. You did a wonderful job I could not have done it near as good as you.
Hi Andrea! Thanks for your comment, and we're glad you enjoyed the article!
In the United Kingdom (Where the Heritage Key offices are based) we spell it "artefact" which is why it keeps popping up that way! I could kick-start an England-American spelling debate, but this probably isn't the place for it.. ;)
Hi,
I would very much like to see the chariots and related items (harness parts) in very good detail
I am an expert on the egyptian chariot, harnessing and driving them (a long time hobby for me) as I drive and train horses, restore carriages and am a carriage historian and do saddlery myself.
But I have never been able to find pictures of the last (6th) chariot, which is said to be reconstructed too a few years ago.
Also I have never been able to find anything about horse skeletons from pharaonic times
My dream is to build and drive a chariot once in the correct way....
regards from the Netherlands, and keep up the good work in 2010.
Bart
Hey Bart, weet jij dan toevallig of de Egyptenaren inderdaad het principe van het paard voor de (oorlogs)kar te spannen van de Hyksos hebben geleerd? Stond in een boek dat ik onlangs gelezen heb, maar ik moet toegeven dat dat zeker onder 'fantasy novel' viel. Vandaar... niet zeker of het accuraat is! ;)
For now we only have some of the First Emperor's bronze chariots listed (quite famous because of the Mummy sequel now). I did not know the King Tut's sixt chariot was assembled, but the other five must be in the Cairo Museum (and thus most likely in our collection). We'll browse the archives and see what we can find!
The golden mask of the king Tutankhamum is nice to see. And the slideshows of that is superb to view it. The mask contains more information and the Sandro vennin's photography is good. Thnks for this nice post.
The golden mask of King Tut is quite amazing, I wonder how many carats of gold that is. anyway, I have gold bars and dust for sell both 22 and 24carats. Gold can last for all ages, that is why its a precious metal.
if you need gold, you can contact me.
how much does it cost value
how much does it cost
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The King Tut expo was over in Ireland recently and I got to see it. One word - Amazing
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<p>It is great to see a professional photo taken. Thanks.</p>
<p>It is great to see a professional photo taken. Thanks.</p>
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