Chair of Tutankhamun with Carved Back
This exquisite wooden chair, found among the treasures of Tutankhamun, radiates both royal grace and divine symbolism. The frame is of cedar wood (a prized import from Lebanon) joined with mortise-and-tenon carpentry and richly gilded. Ebony veneers and ivory inlays accent its surface, while traces of blue faience and coloured glass once added further brilliance.
Its backrest bears a delicate carving of Heh, the ancient god of infinity and endless time. Heh is shown crouching, arms raised in joyful exaltation, clutching the hieroglyphs of “millions of years”; the promise of an eternal reign.
In Egyptian thought, Heh personified the unmeasurable boundless span of the cosmos itself. To depict him upon the king’s seat was to invoke the wish that Tutankhamun’s rule, and his life beyond death, might endure forever in the celestial order.
Flanking the sides of the chair are the Sema-Tawy emblems, binding together the plants of Upper and Lower Egypt in a symbol of unification and balance. Above, the winged sun-disk of Horus spreads its protective wings, while the legs end in lion’s paws, embodying royal strength and solar power.
Every element of this chair blends myth and majesty; a throne not merely to sit upon, but to bind the young king to eternity itself.
Description and Materials
This chair is one of the three smaller seats found in the tomb, distinct from the grand ceremonial thrones. It was designed for everyday palace use or domestic comfort but made with exquisite craftsmanship befitting a king.
The frame is of cedar wood (a prized import from Lebanon) joined with mortise-and-tenon carpentry and richly gilded. Ebony veneers and ivory inlays accent its surface, while traces of blue faience and coloured glass once added further brilliance.
The legs are carved as lion’s paws, invoking solar might and regal vitality. Beneath the seat, a delicate lattice structure provided strength and flexibility. The back panel is where artistry meets theology: it depicts the god Heh, squatting upon a neb basket (symbol of “all”), holding in each hand the notched palm ribs that count the years of eternity, topped with the shen ring of infinity.
Symbolism and Meaning
Heh, one of the Eight Primordial Gods (Ogdoad) of Hermopolis, personified endless time and the boundless expanse of the cosmos. To place Heh upon the king’s chair was to encircle the monarch with infinity itself; a charm for unending renewal, both in life and in the afterlife. The Sema-Tawy symbols on the sides reinforce the theme of unity and balance, while the winged solar disk of Horus above the backrest offers divine protection.
Unlike Tutankhamun’s golden throne depicting the young king and Ankhesenamun in tender intimacy, this seat expresses timeless kingship rather than domestic affection; a quiet hymn to eternity rendered in cedar, gold, and lion’s strength.
Summary:
Tutankhamun’s gilded wooden chair with the god Heh
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, c. 1332–1323 B.C.
From the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62), Valley of the Kings, West Thebes
To be at the Grand Egyptian Museum. JE 62029
