Featured Exhibit
WRAPPED! The Search for the Essential Mummy
EXHIBIT CLOSED
The sarcophagus of Ankh-Wennefer.
(Washington State Historical Society)
Wrapped! The Search for the Essential Mummy takes visitors on a journey into the
ancient beliefs and traditions that answer the ageless questions: "Why do mummies
exist?" and "What can ancient objects tell us about who these people were and how
they lived?"
This exhibit features the story of noted Tacoma businessman Allen C. Mason and his
travels to Egypt in the late 19th century, which resulted in the purchase of the
mummy of Ankh-Wennefer, also known as "the WSHS Mummy." Mason donated Ankh-Wennefer’s
mummy to the Historical Society in 1897. The mummy and its heavily decorated coffins
have been the subject of much study over the decades, with the most recent work
being done by Dr. Elias and the Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium. Tacoma General
Hospital worked with the Society to have high-resolution scans made of the mummy
which were used to create a forensic portrait of the late Ankh-Wennefer.
Wrapped! showcases more than 250 artifacts,
including 18th- and 19th-century engravings, ancient amulets, kitten mummies, and
coffin cases. It also examines the modern science of mummies, whereby imaging technology
allows us to see a mummy without unwrapping it. A series of forensic portraits takes
the imaging technology one step further, allowing visitors to see what these ancient
people looked like in life.
Wrapped! will be on display through September 11, 2011. Organized by the Washington
State Historical Society and the Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium.
With wings spread across Ankh-Wennefer's chest, the goddess Nut offers her protection to the deceased. She holds an ankh in each hand, a symbol that meant "to give life."
(Washington State Historical Society)
The second scene painted on Ankh-Wennefer's inner coffin shows the gods (from left to right) Isis, Osiris, Ra, Ammut, and Thoth who is leading the deceased to his judgment. (Washington State Historical Society)
In this scene, Ankh-Wennefer's Ba flutters above as his mummy rests on a lion-inspired bier, or table. (Washington State Historical Society)