Raiders of the found art: Tut vs. Emperor
Monday, December 15th, 2008
THE AFTER AFTER PARTY: King Tut goes for the gold in "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs." Photo © Sandro Vannini
Egypt’s boy king takes on China’s first emperor in a contest to see who’ll rule Atlanta’s historical art scene. It may be a mismatch to compare the lavish touring Tutankhamun show, on view at the Atlanta Civic Center until May 25, with the High Museum’s smaller-scale but still impressive The First Emperor (through April 19). Nevertheless, King Tut and Qin Shihuangdi both established opulent tombs so they could live large in the afterlife. Both succeeded to the extent that they’re now rock stars of historical arts. With joint tickets available, the two exhibits will deservedly raise the city’s cultural profile, as long as you can see past the unfortunate term “Tutlanta.”
FULL TITLE OF SHOW
Tut: Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs
Emperor: The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army
LENGTH OF REIGN
Tut: 1333–1324 B.C., although the exhibit includes pieces from pharaohs spanning 2600-600 B.C.
Emperor: 221-210 B.C., but that just includes unified China; he ruled China’s Qin state starting in 247 B.C.
DISCOVERY OF TOMB
Tut: In 1922 by archeologist Howard Carter, who probably never let his colleagues hear the end of it.
Emperor: In 1974 by local farmers, who were probably pretty surprised to discover an underground chamber full of heavily armed terracotta soldiers. (more…)
