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In 1922 King Tut’s tomb was discovered by Howard Carter. The mystery, magic, and treasures, led to a world-wide phenomenon known as "Tutmania".
‘Tutmania’ influenced everything from Hollywood to fashion and advertising after the pharaoh's tomb emerged from the sands of Egypt in 1922.’ – National Geographic
Everything was Egyptianized, from dresses and coats with palm trees and sphinxes to Flappers wearing headbands featuring cobras. High-end jewelers fashioned items based on King Tut’s own pieces using diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and onyx set in gold.
And while it influenced advertising and music, it also provided great inspiration for architects the world over. Egyptian motifs became extremely popular as you can see on the elevator doors of the Chrysler Building in New York which they began building after the discovery of the tomb.
For my quilt I wanted to highlight the Art Deco design of the 20’s, which is considered symmetrical, geometric, and sleek, while also referencing “Tutmania”. The gold background fabric is a nod to his spectacular gold sarcophagus. The shape of the rings represent the amazing Egyptian collars made from lapis lazuli, carnelian, obsidian, and malachite. The overall design itself is created in the oval shape of a Pharoah’s cartouche. The New York Beauty blocks represent the papyrus flower native to the marshy edges of the Nile River.
In 1972, 50 years after the discovery, a record-breaking exhibition entitled “Treasures of Tutankhamun” toured for nine years. I was 12 years old when I visited that exhibit and I’m still captivated by the mystery and magic of King Tut.