This is one of the two life size guardian statues from the entrance to Tutankhamun's burial chamber. The statues mark the King's passage from death to rebirth and resurrection. They are carved from wood and gilded, and hold the royal mace and staff.
The statue is one of the many artefacts currently exhibited in Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, which is on at the Saatchi Gallery.
I've included it in my flash of red still life for this week, partly because I regularly visit exhibitions, but mainly because I hope that the every day and the extraordinary aren’t mutually exclusive.
