Lotus Chalice of Tutankhamun
Among the earliest treasures glimpsed by Howard Carter when he first peered into the antechamber of KV62 on 4 November 1922 lay a vessel of almost poetic delicacy: a chalice carved from a single piece of translucent alabaster, shaped as a white lotus in full bloom. Dating to the reign of Tutankhamun (c. 1332–1323 B.C.), the piece measures 18.3 cm in height and nearly 30 cm across, yet despite its modest scale it embodies an entire theology of kingship, rebirth, and eternity.
The cup’s form is itself symbolic. In Egyptian cosmology, the lotus was no mere flower but a cosmic emblem of creation: it was believed that the sun god first arose from a lotus blossom that opened upon the primeval waters of Nun. Thus, the king’s names, inscribed at the heart of the flower, “Nebkheperure Tutankhamun, beloved of Amun-Re, lord of the thrones of the Two Lands and lord of heaven, given life forever”; visually proclaim his rebirth like the newborn sun.
The handles bloom outward as blue lotus flowers flanked by buds, and perched upon their tips kneels the god Heh, divine personification of infinity. In each hand he raises notched palm ribs, the hieroglyph for “year”, which rest upon tadpoles (signifying 100,000) and shen rings (eternity), crowned by ankhs, the signs of life. Together these symbols form a visual equation of limitless duration: millions of years of renewed existence granted to the sovereign.
Around the rim runs a double inscription, read in opposing directions. One line proclaims the royal titulary:
“May he live, the Horus Mighty Bull, beautiful of birth… King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nebkheperure, given life.”
The other speaks more tenderly, almost as a blessing whispered to the departed monarch:
“May your ka live, may you spend millions of years… sitting with your face to the north wind, your eyes beholding happiness.”
It was this gracious wish that moved Carter to nickname the object “the King’s Wishing Cup.” The phrase so captured his imagination that he later had its sentiment inscribed upon his own gravestone; a rare instance in which a modern discoverer allowed an ancient artefact to shape his personal memorial.
Although the chalice was not found in its original placement, laying upon the floor just inside the antechamber, it was among the very first objects encountered in the tomb, greeting its discoverers like a ceremonial offering from antiquity. Today, catalogued as JE 67465 / GEM 36, it resides in Egypt’s national collection, its pale stone still glowing softly as though lit from within.
Graceful yet profound, this small vessel encapsulates the essence of Egyptian royal belief: that beauty, language, and symbol together could grant what all mortals desire; life, renewal, and eternity without end.
