New style of exhibition set to spark imagination
government museum in Cairo.
It had been discovered three or four years earlier, possibly around Thebes, and when she was discovered she was thought to be around 2800 years old from the Late New Kingdom of Egypt.
The Perth-based mummy has been kept safe in the museum stores, but extensive conservation work is needed to make sure her condition does not deteriorate.
This work will also ensure the mummy can be moved and displayed safely in the future.
It is also hoped the conservation of the coffin lid will reveal even more hieroglyphics, providing staff at the museum with even more information about Ta-Kr-Hb’s life.
Anna Zwagerman, conservation officer at Perth Museum and Art Gallery, said: “It is such an exciting opportunity to share the live conservation treatment of the Perth mummy with our visitors.
“This is a highly-specialised process and not something people usually get to see.”
The conservation in action installation is the first time the museum has hosted this style of display.
Appearing alongside Ta- Kr- Hb will be further examples from the museum’s diverse collection of more than 430,000 objects.
This will include a rare 17th Century doublet, a mummified ibis, a Korean ceremonial helmet and a doll’s house made by a high-ranking Nazi prisoner of war.
The exhibition will illustrate the ways in which objects like these, made of different materials and at different times, can be damaged.
It will also explore some of the ethical questions museums have to consider around conservation, and will spotlight the different ways in which curators and conservators work to safeguard collections for future generations.
Culture Perth and Kinross – the charity behind the region’s museums, galleries and libraries – is also trying to raise money for the conservation of Ta-Kr-Hb.
Should Culture Perth and Kinross raise the money needed, the mummy will be put on display at the redeveloped Perth City Hall Museum in 2022, according to a spokesperson.
To donate, visit its JustGiving page at www.justgiving. com/campaign/CPKmummy/