Tutankhamun at the Saatchi Gallery

So, what looks like being my last expedition for a long time, was to the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery.

Now I had been put off this by the hefty price tag. But I shouldn't have been. It was truly wonderful. Not just the exhibits but the way it was exhibited - space, lighting the lot. Most of the exhibits had a little asterisk by them asserting this was the first time the items had left Egypt. Clearly there was a lot of effort spent bigging this all up, but I wasn't disappointed.

While one may be interested in the stories behind everything (the religious symbolism etc) , the exhibits are just astonishingly fine and beautiful. Just amazing craftsmanship.

These are food boxes, to keep Tut going in the afterlife. I love the chicken-shaped box

This is at the head of an ostrich fan - the plumes would have fanned out from the crescent shape. And this depicts an ostrich hunt

 All these statues are actually wooden carvings covered in gold leaf.

A ceremonial shield (well the holes would have made it pretty useless as armour) depicting Tutankhamun on a lion hunt

Royal bed

Head rests

This is a life-size statue of Tutankhamun

Beautiful woodcarving

 Also very impressive jewellery. So colourful with so many stones and glass and precious metals.

This is the top of a walking stick. The handle is in the form of a captive, so you would be symbolically squeezing him when in use. Nice.

The exhibition is on at the Saatchi Gallery which is a somewhat incongruous place - normally housing the most modern of modern art in a very attractive and stately Georgian edifice.

Just off Sloane Square