King Tut mania builds: First artifact installed at MFAH under watchful Egyptian eyes

The white gloves came out Thursday morning at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston as expert handlers from Egypt installed the first item — a canopic stopper — for the upcoming exhibition, Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs.

“This is an exciting day for us,” says Mark Lach, senior vice president of Arts & Exhibitions International, which organized the traveling exhibit. “Up to this point the show has just been walls, lighting and displays.”

So, what is a canopic stopper, exactly?

 “Once installed in Cairo, it’s likely these items will never again leave Egypt,” Lach says. “This is an extremely rare opportunity for U.S. visitors to see King Tut’s items.” 

After an ancient pharoahnic ruler was properly embalmed and mummified, his or her essential organs were placed in vessels for all eternity — or, in this case, until British archaeologists uncovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. The canopic stopper is simply the decorative cap that seals the container to preserve the body parts.

Dating from the 14th century BCE, the artifact stands nearly 10 inches high and bears a resemblance to Tut’s famous mask, which remains in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings due to its fragility. Carved from alabaster, this intricate lid topped one of four chambers carved into a larger burial vault. Within each chamber, a small miniature coffinette would have held one of Tut’s mummified organs. (See the slideshow for images of the larger canopic container.)

“Burial rituals were quite the industry in ancient Egypt,” explains Frances Marzio, who organized the Tutankhamun show as MFAH curator of The Glassell Collections. “These elaborate rites kept the economy going.”

In the second floor gallery of the MFAH’s Caroline Weiss Law Building, where the show will open on Oct. 16, Lach gave a brief introduction before two Egyptian handlers gently wheeled the stone lid into the room and placed it in its case. The Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities requires the traveling artifacts to be managed by a team of its couriers at all times.

“Ultimately,” Marzio says, “what we hope to do is generate funds for the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where the Tutankhamun artifacts will remain from this point forward.”

“Once installed in Cairo, it’s likely these items will never again leave Egypt,” Lach says. “This is an extremely rare opportunity for U.S. visitors to see King Tut’s items.”

Treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb toured seven U.S. cities throughout the late 1970s, attracting more than eight million visitors and striking the country with a case of Tut-Mania, best remembered by Steve Martin’s zany King Tut performance.

The upcoming exhibit at the MFAH will feature more than 50 artifacts from Tut’s tomb, less than 10 of which are repeated from the '70s show. Other treasures from ancient Egypt will also be included in what surely will be one the museum’s most popular events in years.

Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs opens at the Caroline Weiss Law Building at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston next Sunday, Oct. 16 and will be on view through April 15, 2012. Tickets can be pre-purchased at 888-931-4TUT or on the exhibition website.