Dec 21, 2015 The gold mask of ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamun recently went back on display at the national museum in Cairo after eight weeks of restoration work.
The mask was initially removed from after display after it was revealed that a worker at the Museum accidentally knocked the braided beard off the ancient burial mask.
Announcing the restoration, manager of the Egyptian Museum, Khaled Anany said:
“Today, we announce the completion of the restoration work on the mask, which was has been done through successful scientific procedures over the course of nine weeks,”
The mask of Tutankhamen is one of the most famous artifacts in the Egyptian. Its existence spans over 3,300 years old and it was discovered in 1922, setting off a worldwide craze over the history and art of ancient Egypt.
A German-Egyptian team began restoration work on the mask in October. Egypt’s Antiquities Minister Mamdouh el-Damaty said the reattachment came after studies explored the best materials to use for the work.
Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damaty and the Head of the restoration team, Dr. Christian Eckmann, held a press conference to announce details of the work that has been carried out.
Speaking at the conference, Mamdouh Al-Damaty, said:
“We studied the most suitable materials to use to reattach the beard, and we discovered that the best were those which were used by ancient Egyptians, which is bees wax. And as you can see before you, the beard was re-attached successfully and you will be able to see it now, looking even better than when it was restored in the 1940s.”