Tomb of King Tut (KV 62) will undergo major restoration
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KV 62, the famous tomb of King Tutankhamen will undergo a five-year project to clean and restore the wall paintings.
The restoration project is a collaboration between Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Getty Conservation Institute.
This is not the first time the Los Angeles based Getty Institute has worked in an Egyptian tomb. From 1986 to 1992, Egyptian authorities and the Getty Conservation Institute undertook the saving of the Tomb of Nefertari (QV 66), using the most advanced scientific and artistic restoration practices.
Tutankhamen’s tomb is by far the most visited tomb in Egypt, more on account of the glittery fame of the boy king and the mystery of the curse upon those who perturbed his resting place back in November 1922, when it was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter.
KV 62 is not a large tomb designed for royalty, but a hastily built four-roomed burial place for the pharaoh who died at age 18. Only the burial chamber was decorated with scenes depicting the ceremony of the Opening of the Mouth, the Weighing of the Heart and passage through the Netherworld into the Afterlife.
The paintings are done in the Amarna style, yet show the return to the more traditional forms of ancient Egyptian art. The figures are represented on a yellow background. Brown spots have marred the wall paintings to a large extent.
The experts from the Getty Conservation Institute will analyze the cause of this and other damages. It is a well known fact that heat and humidity from the thousands of tourists who have to pay a special price to enter the tomb accelerate the process of deterioration.
The restoration project is expected to last five years, the first two for research and the rest for implementation of the restoration plan.
As of now, it hasn’t been decided whether the tomb of Tutankhamen will remain partially opened or be closed.
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