Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, embalming cache of Tutankhamun (Tomb KV 54), Valley of the Kings, Davis/Ayrton 1907
Linen dyed with indigotin
W. 20 7/8 in. (53 cm), L. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm), thread count per inch 86 x 188
Gift of Theodore M. Davis, 1909 (09.184.217)
Kerchief from Tutankhamun's embalming cache, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336–1327 b.c.
Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, embalming cache of Tutankhamun (Tomb KV 54), Valley of the Kings, Davis/Ayrton 1907
Linen
W. 26 in. (66 cm), L. 20 1/16 in. (51 cm)
Gift of Theodore M. Davis, 1909 (09.184.218)
Kerchief from Tutankhamun's embalming cache, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336–1327 b.c.
Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, embalming cache of Tutankhamun (Tomb KV 54), Valley of the Kings, Davis/Ayrton 1907
Linen
W. 26 15/16 in. (68.5 cm), L. 20 11/16 in. (52.5 cm)
Gift of Theodore M. Davis, 1909 (09.184.219)
Worn linen sheets and clothing were used for wrapping and padding mummies. Linens that weren't actually used for mummification were sometimes buried in embalming caches, like one discovered in the Valley of the Kings (KV 54) that dates to the burial of Tutankhamun.
Three mended and laundered head cloths found in Tutankhamun's embalming cache were originally identified as kerchiefs worn by guests at the king's funerary meal. We now believe that they were part of the leftover embalming linen. Two of the kerchiefs were made for adults. The blue kerchief, dyed with indigo, is quite small and may have belonged to Tutankhamun when he was a child. Whether it was worn by Tutankhamun or not, examples of dyed linen from ancient Egyptian times are extremely rare, making this a very precious object.
