Secrets of a Pharaoh's Wardrobe

​The advent of Zoom Lectures has enriched many of our lives - what a privilege it is to be able to listen and talk to leading experts around the world from the comfort of our own armchair.
That was certainly the case at this month's C&TA zoom lecture  with Textile Archaeologist Dr Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, Director of the Textile and Research Centre at Leiden in The Netherlands about her lifetime of research and painstaking recreation of the garments found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. 

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The tomb contained a large and varied collection of textiles in varying states of preservation that are now being studied in detail, and are revealing surprising new insights into the life of the young King. These include 145 precision-folded loincloths, 12 tunics, 24 shawls, 28 pairs of gloves, 25 head coverings and 15 sashes, along with 47 pairs of shoes and 4 pairs of socks plus 2 leopard skins and 2 aprons.  The clothes were of the finest materials and include the ceremonial robes worn at his Coronation when Tutankhamen was still a young boy.

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It was fascinating to examine the clever design, fine embroidery, symbolism and colours used, and see the care that had been laboured on these royal garments and personal items - as much status symbols as the glittering golden masks and accoutrements more often associated with Howard Carter's discovery, and no less fabulous.  A glimpse into his wardrobe enables a more revealing and intimate reconstruction of the life of a Pharaoh and these extraordinary objects still have more to tell us.