Colorized Photos of the Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb

Nov 06, 2015

Michael Zhang

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Photo colorizer Jordan Lloyd of Dynamichrome was recently commissioned to digitally color reconstructed photos of the discovery and exploration of Tutankhaten’s tomb starting in 1922.

The project took several months, and a great deal of research was done into finding accurate color references for things seen in the photos.

The photo above was taken just as King Tut’s coffin lid was taken off. Tutankhamun is seen lying intact with a 24-pound burial mask made of solid gold. Here are other before-and-after photos in the series:

December 1922: The Antechamber

A gilded lion bed, clothes chest and other objects in the antechamber. The wall of the burial chamber is guarded by statues.

December 1922: The Antechamber

Under the lion bed in the antechamber are several boxes and chests, and an ebony and ivory chair which Tutankhamun used as a child. — A ceremonial bed in the shape of the Celestial Cow, surrounded by provisions and other objects in the antechamber of the tomb. The white ovoid shaped objects are food offerings, including one containing beef!

December 1922: The Antechamber

Ornately carved alabaster vases in the antechamber, containing perfume.

December 1922: The Antechamber

Numerous chariots are stacked up against the wall.

c. 1923

Lord Carnarvon reads on the veranda of Carter's house near the Valley of the Kings. — Lord Carnarvon reads on the veranda of Carter’s house near the Valley of the Kings.

c.1923: The Treasury

An assortment of model boats in the treasury of the tomb. In all, some 35 boats were located throughout the tomb, symbolic of the transporting the king on his journey through the streams of the underworld towards resurrection.

November 29, 1923

Howard Carter, Arthur Callender and an Egyptian worker wrap one of the sentinel statues for transport.

December 1923

Arthur Mace and Alfred Lucas work on a golden chariot from Tutankhamun's tomb outside the "laboratory" in the tomb of Sethos II. — Arthur Mace and Alfred Lucas work on a golden chariot from Tutankhamun’s tomb outside the “laboratory” in the tomb of Sethos II.

c.1923: The Treasury

Chests inside the treasury made from various materials including ivory, ebony and Egyptian redwood which would've contained jewelry, clothing and cosmetics for the boy king. — Chests inside the treasury made from various materials including ivory, ebony and Egyptian redwood which would’ve contained jewelry, clothing and cosmetics for the boy king.

c.1923: The Treasury

A gilded bust of the Celestial Cow Mehet-Weret and chests sit in the treasury of the tomb.

c.1923: The Treasury

A statue of Anubis on a shrine with pallbearers' poles in the treasury of the tomb. Anubis, the canid-headed god was associated with the afterlife - a primary role of which Anubis would weigh the heart of the deceased to determine if they were worthy of entering the land of the dead. — A statue of Anubis on a shrine with pallbearers’ poles in the treasury of the tomb. Anubis, the canid-headed god was associated with the afterlife – a primary role of which Anubis would weigh the heart of the deceased to determine if they were worthy of entering the land of the dead.

c.1924(?)

Lord Carnarvon, financier of the excavation and Howard Carter posing outside the Burial Chamber

December 2, 1923: The Burial Chamber

Carter, Callender and two Egyptian workers carefully dismantle one of the golden shrines within the burial chamber.

December 1923: The Burial Chamber

Carter, Mace and an Egyptian worker carefully roll up the linen pall covering the second shrine.

December 1923: The Burial Chamber

Inside the outermost shrine in the burial chamber, a huge linen pall with gold rosettes, reminiscent of the night sky, covers the smaller shrines within. The mural upon right northern wall depicts three scenes of Tutankhamun in the guise of Osiris, with Ay, the new Pharaoh performing the 'opening of the mouth ceremony'. On the left western wall are shown various Egyptian deities such as Horus and Maat. — Inside the outermost shrine in the burial chamber, a huge linen pall with gold rosettes, reminiscent of the night sky, covers the smaller shrines within. The mural upon right northern wall depicts three scenes of Tutankhamun in the guise of Osiris, with Ay, the new Pharaoh performing the ‘opening of the mouth ceremony’. On the left western wall are shown various Egyptian deities such as Horus and Maat.

January 1924

In a "laboratory" set up in the tomb of Sethos II, conservators Arthur Mace and Alfred Lucas clean one of the sentinel statues from the antechamber. — In a “laboratory” set up in the tomb of Sethos II, conservators Arthur Mace and Alfred Lucas clean one of the sentinel statues from the antechamber.

January 4, 1924

Howard Carter, Arthur Callender and an Egyptian worker open the doors of the innermost shrine and get their first look at Tutankhamun's sarcophagus. — Howard Carter, Arthur Callender and an Egyptian worker open the doors of the innermost shrine and get their first look at Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus.

October 1925

Howard Carter examines Tutankhamun's sarcophagus. — Howard Carter examines Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus.

October 1925

Carter and a worker examine the solid gold innermost sarcophagus, shown within a gilded, laminated wood coffin of different coloured glass.

The original black-and-white photos in this project were captured by Egyptologist Harry Burton, and the colorization was done with the Griffith Institute in Oxford and SC Exhibitions based in Germany for their upcoming exhibition “The Discovery of King Tut,” which opens on November 21st on 5th Avenue in New York.

P.S. Last year, we featured a behind-the-scenes look at Lloyd’s colorization work. You can also find more on his website, Instagram, and Twitter.

Image credits: All images by Harry Burton. ©The Griffith Institute, Oxford. Colorized by Dynamichrome for the exhibition “The Discovery of King Tut” on New York’s 5th Avenue on November 21st, 2015 in conjunction with SC Exhibitions.