Visitors to Perth Museum and Art Gallery will get a unique opportunity to watch conservation work on a 2,900-year-old mummy.
As part of a new exhibition opening early next year, visitors will be able to see conservators performing the delicate task of treating museum objects inside a purpose-built conservation studio.
Conservation in Action: Saving the Perth Mummy will show visitors how fragile objects are cared for in, alongside the live conservation of objects from the museum’s collection.
The exhibition’s highlight will be Ta-Kr-Hb, the museum’s ancient Egyptian Mummy.
Conservation Officer at Perth Museum and Art Gallery, Anna Zwagerman said: “It is such an exciting opportunity to share the live conservation treatment of the Perth mummy with our visitors.
“This is a highly specialised process and not something people usually get to see.”
The story of Ta-Kr-Hb, thought to be almost 2900 years old, has fascinated museum visitors and staff alike since it first came to Perth in 1936.
It was donated to the Perth collection by the Alloa Society of Natural Science and Archaeology.
It is believed the mummy was discovered in the early 1930s in or around Thebes in Greece before its arrival in Scotland.
When discovered, the mummy was thought to be around 2,800 years old.
While it has been kept safe in Perth Museum stores, conservation is still required to ensure its condition is maintained.
This will also allow for it to be safely moved and displayed.
It is hoped that conservation of the coffin lid will reveal more hieroglyphics, providing information about Ta-Kr-Hb’s life.
The new exhibition will also feature other items from the museum’s collection of over 430,000 objects alongside Ta-Kr-Hb.
These will include a rare 17th century doublet and a Korean ceremonial helmet.
The exhibition will illustrate the ways in which these objects, made of different materials and at different times, can be damaged.
It will also consider some of the ethical issues that come with conservation work.
Furthermore, the exhibition will highlight the different ways in which conservators safeguard artefacts for generations to come.
Visitors to the museum can see the conservation work being carried out from January 14.
