Dr Hawass recently announced that he is looking to raise $2,000,000 for his “Chair of Egyptology”. Now I don’t know about you, but I find that to be one pricey chair! That said, King Tutankhamun’s Throne boasts a $17,000,000 valuation* (well okay – it is priceless, but in this economy, everything has its price apparently). That said, Dr Hawass’ “Chair” is also priceless as the amount will be invested back into Egyptology, and will aid the careers of future budding Egyptologists. Personally, I’m pretty happy with a 5 stool from the local market, but then I’m easily pleased.
Admittedly there is a bit of difference in the upholstery being used. And I’m not sure how much plastic they used back the Egyptian Dynasty days. And I’m not certain that DrHawass’ Chair would include the Ankh engravings and the famed scene of King Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun.
But at Two Million Dollars, I bet you’d be pretty darn comfortable!
* Price – or rather, Value – Comparison:
The $17,000,000 is the amount offered to the Cairo museum for King Tut’s throne in 2000. They weren’t willing to sell for that price at all. The chair is made using gold leaf, opposed to the golden mask (on display in the King Tut VX exhibition!), which is solid gold. Just the gold in Tutankhamun’s death mask alone is worth about 1.5 million dollars – and gold prices are still rising – and then there’s also the value of the precious stones and jewelry and – the main price determing factor – the fact that it’s King Tut’s and unique.
A sculpture of Kate Moss by Mark Quinn also drew parallels with the ancient Egyptians and Greeks when it was revealed last October at the British Museum. It was the biggest statue to have been made entirely out of gold since ancient Egyptian times, and was displayed alongside ancient Greek goddesses in a purposeful nod to the past. Part of the Statuephilia exhibition, Kate Moss was made out of 50 kilos of 18 carat gold, a total value of this precious metal of almost 1 million dollars. Marc Quinn said in total it cost about $2,250,000 to make the ‘Golden Kate Moss’.