Seminar in the History of Collecting: Howard Carter and the Market for Egyptian Art, 1920-1940

Title: Wonderfully Expensive Things: Howard Carter and the Market for Egyptian Art, 1920-1940
Speaker: Tom Hardwick (Consulting Curator of Egyptology, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, USA)
Abstract: Howard Carter’s and Lord Carnarvon’s discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in November 1922 was not just an archaeological landmark: it was also watched closely by the art market. Carter and Carnarvon were not just excavators, but avid collectors and canny dealers in Egyptian objects at a time when their status and values were changing. Exhibitions and auctions brought Egyptian objects to eager audiences anxious for new sensations and potential profits.
One might think the tomb of Tutankhamun would be unaffected by this boom, but even excavated objects were subject to the vagaries of the market. Tutankhamun’s “wonderful things” were assessed and priced up from the moment the tomb was opened. Archival material reveals how objects from Tutankhamun’s tomb were monetized and offered for sale during Carter’s lifetime and after his death.

[@gavinsverdloff4291]

Thank you so much for your talk, I found it very informing. I have always be interested in Howard Carter & the find of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. I have been lucky enough to see some objects in London. 🙏 once again

[@stephenede-borrett1452]

Absolutely fascinating. Thankyou Tom Hardwick and thankyou Wallace.

[@gavinsverdloff4291]

Thank you so much for your talk, I found it very informing. I have always be interested in Howard Carter & the find of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. I have been lucky enough to see some objects in London. 🙏 once again