Wooden statue of Tutankhamun. The Treasures of Tutankhamen, The Exhibition Catalogue by I E S Edwards, page 66. One of the two life-size statues of the king; black wood with applied gilded plaster. Two statues were discovered in the antechamber of the Royal tomb, facing each other on either side of the sealed entrance to the burial chamber. The statues, of refined craftsmanship are striking in both their life-size dimensions and the black finish of the skin, revealing the skill of the artist who has succeeded in investing their features with a sense of the almost supernatural power they wielded as guardians of the burial chamber. The black skin tone was a reference to the earth and thus, given that these are Ka images of the sovereign, emphasizes the indestructibility of the creative nature of the king, evoking the aspects of rebirth and cyclical resurrection of Osiris. The king is portrayed in a striding pose, a mace gripped in his right hand and a long staff with a papyrus stem in his left hand. A gilded bronze asp adorns his forehead while the eyes are inlaid and outlined with gilded bronze, as are the eyebrows. A gilded usekh necklace and a pectoral are worn on the chest. The pleated skirt is fastened on the hips with a belt inscribed at the rear and on the buckle with the coronation name of the king Nebkbeperura. *** Local Caption ***