However, during a routine cleaning procedure, the beard fell off and it was hastily, but improperly, glued back in position, sadly causing further damage.
On hearing of the museum’s plight, Henkel sprang to its aid, offering not only to help to remove the incorrectly used epoxy glue, but also to develop a customised hotmelt adhesive. This is the type of adhesive commonly used in the UK to encapsulate delicate electronic components.
Henkel developed a method to remove the epoxy from the mask without leaving any residue, and also recommended the hotmelt alternative that could withstand the high ambient temperatures in Egypt and vibration caused during transportation.
At the press conference held to unveil the newly restored mask, the head of the restoration project highlighted Henkel’s role: “The competent advice and support from the research experts at Henkel made a significant contribution to the project’s success,” concluded Christian Eckmann of the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz.
The mask, which was discovered in 1922 by British archeologists Howard Carter and George Herbert, is considered one of the finest treasures of ancient Egypt and was unearthed along with Tutankhamen’s nearly-intact tomb.
The Ancient Egyptians were obsessed with the prospect of life after death - the eternal afterlife. They used elaborate masks to great effect, generally as death masks and ritual masks. Royal death masks or burial masks, such as the fabulous death mask of Tutankhamun, the boy King Tut, were made of gold in the image of the deceased. The King Tut mask was used to cover the face of the mummy of the pharaoh and ensure that his spirit would be able to recognise the body.
The mask, which depicts an actual likeness of the young Tutankhamun, weighs 10k (22lbs) and measures 54 cm (21 in) in height and 38 cm (15 in) wide. The workmanship is exquisite and its value priceless. It is made of gold, inlaid with semi-precious stones, coloured glass paste, and the eyes are made with obsidian and quartz. The back of the mask is chased with a series of spells and texts from the Book of the Dead. The mask was placed directly on the mummy of King Tut inside the third coffin housed in the sarcophagus.
