Making a Masterpiece

Egyptian craftsmen have left us a rich record of Ancient Egypt's culture, environment and belief system. While only a fraction of their creations survive, these objects can tell us a lot. Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs features a wide range of artefacts, reflecting the diversity of this amazing legacy.

The Tomb Builders

We know something about the artisans who cut and decorated Tutankhamun's tomb. Deir el-Medina is a village which was home to the workers who built the tombs and temples in and around the Valley of the Kings. Deir el-Medina was a community of highly-skilled craftsmen who passed their expertise from one generation to the next.

• Stonecutters cut the tombs into the soft limestone cliffs and valley floor
   
• Draftsman transferred the intricate designs onto the tomb walls using preliminary drawings (an overlaid grid was used to ensure the accurate reproduction of designs)
   
• Painters used a wide variety of pigments to add remarkable detail and vibrant colour to the scenes

Inside an Egyptian Workshop

Objects found within Tutankhamun's tomb included gold coffins, statuettes, vases, jewellery, furniture, shrines, bows, chariots, writing materials, games, musical instruments and much more. We can glimpse how some of these objects were produced thanks to the discovery of workshop belonging to a master sculptor named Thutmose at Armana.

Armana was a city in Middle Egypt founded by Tutankhamun's predecessor, Akhenaten and abandoned during Tutankhamun's reign. Read more about Akhenaten and Armana

Excavations of the city revealed Thutmose's workshop. It contained sculptural works at various stages of completion, abandoned along with the city; providing a rare snapshot of a working studio. An iconic bust of Queen Nefertiti was found along with more than 50 other works. The discovery confirms that standard models were used to ensure a regular likeness of the royal subjects and indicates that many items were in construction at one time.