The ancient Egyptian concept of the afterlife was dramatically illustrated by The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt. Considered the largest group of antiquities ever on loan from Egypt for exhibit in North America, the exhibition included approximately 107 magnificent works, ranging from monumental stone sculptures of Egyptian royalty and deities to such luxurious tomb furnishings as gold jewelry, ornate coffins, a model of the river ship of the pharaoh Amenhotep II, and a sarcophagus painted with scenes of the afterlife.
Ranging in date from the New Kingdom (1550–1069 B.C.) through the Late Period (664–332 B.C.), the works in the exhibition were divided into four sections: the King and Society in the New Kingdom, Tombs of Nobles, the Royal Tomb, and the Realm of the Gods. Also on view will was a full-scale reconstruction of the tomb of Thutmose III, as well as an educational exhibition on the ancient practice of mummification, which included both human and animal mummies. On loan from the Egyptian government, objects in the Quest for Immortality are in the collections of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Luxor Museum of Ancient Art, and the sites of Tanis and Deir el-Bahari. The exhibition was organized by United Exhibits Group, Copenhagen, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in association with the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Cairo.
Lead Family Program Sponsor: Genesco
Contributing Family Program Sponsors:
Caremark Rx
CBRL Group Foundation
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
First Tennessee Foundation
Ingram Charitable Fund
Logan’s Roadhouse
Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission
Richards Family Fund
Tennessee Arts Commission
The Tennessean
Union Station— A Wyndham Historic Hotel
