In 1908, while excavating in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, American archaeologist Theodore Davis discovered about a dozen large storage jars. Their contents included broken pottery, bags of natron (a mixture of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium sulphate, and sodium chloride that occurs naturally in Egypt), bags of sawdust, floral collars, and pieces of linen with markings from years 6 and 8 during the reign of a then little-known pharaoh named Tutankhamun. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was given six of the vessels and a good part of their contents in 1909. Opening March 16 at the Metropolitan Museum, the exhibition Tutankhamun’s Funeral will explore the materials and rituals associated with the burial of the pharaoh. The presentation will include some 60 objects, primarily from the Metropolitan’s own collection.

Stela of Userhat and his wife Nefertari; Userhat is the only known mortuary priest of Tutankhamun. From Thebes, Limestone h. 42.5 cm (16 ¾ in) Late Dynasty 18, ca. 1327-1295 B.C. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Egypt Exploration Fund, 1905

In time, Herbert Winlock, curator and field director of the Metropolitan’s Egyptian excavations and in the 1930s Director of the Museum, came to realize that the natron and linen were the embalming refuse from the mummification of Tutankhamun. He also suggested that the animal bones, pottery, and collars might have come from a funeral meal. Winlock’s analysis was an important clue that led to Howard Carter’s 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb some 110 meters away.

The exhibition will feature jars, lids, bowls, floral collars, linen sheets, and bandages that were used at the pharaoh’s mummification and the rites associated with his burial. Related objects will also be shown. These include a sculpted head of the youthful Tutankhamun and several facsimile paintings depicting funerary rituals. Archival photographs from the early 20th century by Harry Burton, the Museum’s expedition photographer, will provide an evocative background.

Although few facts are known about the brief life of Tutankhamun (reign ca. 1336–1327 B.C.), scholars studying the funerary cache have been able to reconstruct details of his death and burial. For example, botanical analysis of the well-preserved, more than 3,000-year-old floral collars indicates that the plants they contain flower in Egypt between late February and mid–March. Since the complex process of mummification took about 70 days, it is now believed that Tutankhamun probably died in December or January.

Often called the “boy-king,” Tutankhamun was about nine years old when he ascended the throne of ancient Egypt; he died approximately nine years later, possibly owing to causes that include disease and a broken bone. His death may have been unexpected, so that his own tomb was still unfinished; the rather small tomb in which he was actually buried had been started for another person, not for a king. Eventually, workmen’s huts completely hid the entrance to the tomb, and its location was forgotten. The discovery of the storage vessels and the accurate identification of their contents were instrumental in leading Howard Carter to his great discovery.

www.metmuseum.org

The National Museum of American History is taking numismatic treasures out of Washington, D.C., and into communities across the United States with a new traveling display “Good as Gold—America’s Double Eagles.” The exhibition tells the story of the evolution of the $20 gold coin, the largest coin to circulate in the United States.

“Good as Gold” will be on display at the American Numismatic Association’s convention in Ft. Worth, Texas, March 25-27; and subsequently in Boston and Sacramento, Calif., touring until (through?) 2011. The exhibition was made possible with funding from the ANA as part of a long-term partnership with the museum.

The exhibition draws from the National Numismatic Collection, which consists of more than 1.5 million objects, including coins, medals and paper currency and preserves the role of money in economic history. It features 20 objects that highlight the birth, expansion and extinction of the $20 gold coin in America. The featured piece is an ultra-rare coin from 1849, the first $20 coin struck by the U.S. Mint during the California gold rush. Weighing in at more than an ounce, this denomination played a major role in American commerce for more than 80 years. In addition to federal issues, the display features a variety of privately minted $20 coins with nontraditional imagery and high-relief coins designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

“The $20 double eagle coin’s evolution through time is one of the fascinating aspects of American numismatic history,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the museum. “To display the collection across the United States is an opportunity for Americans to learn more about the country’s monetary beginnings.”

“Good as Gold—America’s Double Eagles” provides a visual and chronological account of America’s changing commerce and culture. The exhibition includes coins issued from mints across the United States, including San Francisco, New Orleans, Carson City, Nev., and Denver. These coins span the course of 50 years. “Good as Gold” also examines the redesign of the double eagle, an initiative taken on by President Theodore Roosevelt in efforts to make American currency more visually evocative.

“The rare double eagle coins displayed in this exhibition are American numismatic treasures,” said Larry Shepherd, executive director of the ANA. “It is our privilege to work with the Smithsonian to provide a true museum-quality experience at ANA conventions. There is a rich history that can be seen through these coins, and it is our great pleasure to share this experience with thousands of people throughout the country.”

The ANA’s 2009 World’s Fair of Money gives visitors the chance to see some of the world’s most beautiful and valuable coins and interact with top numismatists; it features more than 1,100 dealers and vendors, world-class exhibits, displays from 15 mints from four continents and education presentations. The Los Angeles Convention Center is located at 1201 Figueroa Street downtown.

The ANA is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to educating and encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. With nearly 33,000 members, the association serves the academic community, collectors and the general public with an interest in numismatics. The ANA helps all people discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of programs, including its education and outreach, museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars.

The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. The museum shines new light on American history after having been dramatically transformed by a two-year renovation. To learn more about the museum, visit http://americanhistory.si.edu. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000, (202) 633-5285 (TTY).

Over 1,500 dealers will set up for March 31-April 4 event at the Metrolina Tradeshow Expo for ICA Shows’ five day Spring Classic

(CHARLOTTE, NC) – “From Antique to Shabby Chic and Everything in Between” describes the variety of treasures, pleasures and surprises that await show goers this month at the ICA Shows “Spring Classic.” The International Collectibles & Antiques Shows, always held the first full weekend of every month, will present its semi-annual seasonal “Classic” event on March 31-April 4 at the Metrolina Tradeshow Expo in Charlotte, where the tradition continues.

Decorators, designers, collectors and anyone seeking a bargain, including just lookers, will want to make plans to attend the Spring Classic and sample the eclectic mix of antiques, collectibles, curiosities and “others” found in the indoor and outdoor dealer booths. Visitors can also stroll through Piccadilly Lane, Antique Village, and the Open-Air Market (or Marketplace) which are “shops” in the buildings owned by local, permanent dealers who set their items on display in a decorative manner so that shoppers can picture the treasures in their homes. While cruising the exhibitor spaces visitors will enjoy experiencing the smells and tastes of offerings from the food vendors ranging from pizza and funnel cakes to good old fashioned Southern BBQ and perhaps take a short break at the outdoor bar with a TV.

All of the buildings have been upgraded and now support free Wi-Fi connections with state of the art security. Pets are welcome as are strollers and carts and the atmosphere and wide selection of dealer inventory, ranging from rare antiques to $5.00 pleasers, is ideal for shopping in a tough economy with bargains at every turn. The Spring Classic is a great opportunity for an inexpensive family outing, perhaps even starting a child’s first collection with an inexpensive little find.

Antiques are the point of origin of the “green” movement, recycling our history and passing it on and the Classic offers the perfect opportunity to recycle an antique into your modern household at a very affordable price in pleasant surroundings. Pick out your recycling candidate from the vast array of furniture and accessories, jewelry, china, silver, pottery, art, arts and crafts, military/historical artifacts, coins, vintage toys, rugs, lighting, architectural salvage treasures, bolts of vintage hard to find fabrics and even plants offered by the dealers.

The Spring Classic offers a variety of special services for attendees including appraisals by Col Charles Senn, furniture repair by Walter Smith of Augusta, GA custom engraving by T. S. Buchanan of Charlotte and jewelry repair, restoration and repairs of crystal, porcelain, art deco, pottery, cloisonné, alabaster, lacquer boxes, stoneware and silver by Lauro Torres of Wilmington, NC. Purchased items can be packaged and shipped from the show, good for gifting or if you are on the way to other locations so you don’t have to carry your purchases everywhere with you. The Shows make it easy to get your item home without it being a burden.

And even if you are not in a buying mood at the moment, the Classic is a great opportunity to take advantage of the breadth of knowledge of the dealers who come from all walks of life and from all parts of the country. Most are anxious to talk about their particular field and they may be able to help you find that one elusive item you have been chasing for years. You can also take advantage of the opportunity to talk with other shoppers you find in the area of booths of interest to you.

The International Collectibles & Antiques Show Spring Classic will be held March 31-April 4 at the Metrolina Tradeshow Expo, 7100 Statesville, Rd, Charlotte, NC 28269 located at Exit 16a on I-77 just six minutes north of downtown Charlotte . Show times are 9:00 – 5:00 Wednesday-Saturday and 10:00 – 4:00 Sunday. A five day pass for this event is $10 with a $1 Senior discount and kids under 12 get in free. Parking is always free.

Regular four day monthly ICA Shows will be held April 29-May2, June 3-6, July 1-4, August 5-8, September 2-5, September 30-October 3 and December 2-6. A four day admission pass to regular Shows is $5.00 with the same discounts. The Fall Classic will be held November 3-7. The ICA Show is owned and managed by Pete Pistone.

For more information visit the website at www.ICASHOWS.com, email info@icashows.com or call (704) 714-7909.

PHOTO CAPTION

Some of the many treasures that can be found at the International Collectibles & Antique Shows BIG SPRING CLASSIC in Charlotte.

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Bellevue, WA – This spring, Bellevue Arts Museum offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience the private collection of Seattle-based art collectors John and Joyce Price. On view through August 8, 2010, Eyes for Glass: The Price Collection focuses on one aspect of the Prices’ broad collecting activities: works whose common denominator is glass whether it be blown, cast, engraved, fused, slumped, carved, painted or in combination with non-glass materials.

Joe David, Whaler’s Spirit, 2006, Red cedar, glass, acrylic, 14 x 31 x 15 in. Photo: Stephen Vest

Enamored by the art created in the United States’ Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, this premier exhibition includes over 170 works by 70 American and Native American artists, including Joe David, Preston Singletary, Susan Point, Kenojuak Ashevak, Walter Lieberman, Dick Weiss, Cappy Thompson, Dale Chihuly, Dante Marioni, Katherine Gray, William Morris, Sean Albert and Lino Tagliapietra.

“For John and Joyce Price collecting art is a passion; a unique, personal way of entering into a rich and meaningful life experience, as well as a way of being receptive and responsible to life,” says BAM Director Emeritus Michael W. Monroe, who curated this first-time presentation of the Prices’ unique glass collection. “Collecting objects has allowed John and Joyce to establish not only a dialogue with artists, but also to grow into lifelong friendships with them. Each object is a reminder of an intimacy established over time through giving and receiving. At a time when the world is fragmented and chaotic, the Prices have sought to share objects that speak of balance, beauty and harmony.”

www.bellevuearts.org

Eileen Rhoads Presents The Carolyn Sunstein Collection Dollhouse & Miniature & Toy Auction on Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28, beginning at – 9 a.m. (The Preview will be held Friday, March 26, noon to 5 p.m.) The auction will take place at Rhoads & Rhoads Auction Center in Spring City, Pennsylvania.

Carolyn Sunstein was a patron of the arts, co-founder of the Philadelphia Miniaturia Show, as well as an expert on miniature silver. As such, she assembled one of the most illustrious collections of miniatures in the United States. Her expertise in miniature silver is reflected in the compilation of the miniature silver offered. “We were fortunate to work with Carolyn before her passing,” says Eileen Rhoads, “and the memory of her pride in showing her collection will remain with us forever. While visiting with Carolyn we remarked about how she might miss her collection. Her reply was ‘Come into this room, you haven’t seen anything yet!’”

Eileen continues, “As she turned on the lights of the mahogany breakfront, we recall that the sparkle of her silver was surpassed only by the sparkle in her eyes,” “This, is my collection,” she said.

“And now,” says Eileen, “we are thrilled and thankful for the opportunity to offer this rare and important collection, in it’s entirety, a memorial, as it were, to one of most important ladies of miniatures of our time.”

The auction will include: Automatons, Toys, Child-Size Period Furniture, Artisan Miniatures, Vintage Miniatures, Glassware, Miniature Art Glass, Over 500 pieces of Miniature Sterling Silver, David Clayton, and many other early Artisan pieces, Room Boxes, Vickerman Dollhouse, Victorian Dolls’ Houses, French Doll Accessories, Candy Containers Collection, Vintage Miniature Books, Vienna Bronzes, Children’s Vintage Transferware Doll Dishes, just to mention a few items!

www.echant.com