Howard Carter

From Tracer to Tutankhamun

by Carl Graves

Book cover: Howard Carter

Extent: 2024 pages

Publisher: Egypt Exploration Society

Subjects: Ancient Egypt, Art & Art History

Series: Occasional Papers

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(September 2024)

ISBN: 9780856982620

6.1 x 9.17 inches

Price: $16.95

In stock

PDF (Published)

(September 2024)

ISBN: 9780856982637

Price: $14.99

Howard Carter is often remembered for the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, but his legacy in the field of Egyptology spreads far further than this single discovery. The youngest of 11 children, Howard Carter began his career as an artist working for the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1891. Despite his young age, he pioneered new techniques in archaeological recording and used those skills to create beautiful, accurate images of tomb and temple scenes preserved on the monuments of Egypt. Carter’s largest known watercolour painting (EES.ART.224) is a full- scale reproduction of a scene from the shrine to Anubis in Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahari. This work, actually comprised of six pieces of paper combined together to create the scene, is testament to his expertise as an artist. It shows Tuthmosis I and his mother Senseneb before an offering table laden with food dedicated to the god Anubis, a jackal-headed god of embalming. Very little is known about queen Senseneb, and this scene represents one of the few known depictions of her. By shining a spotlight on the painting, Carl Graves provides context to it while uncovering the life and legacy of one of Egypt’s greatest archaeologists.

  • By (author) Carl Graves

"The essential backstory of history's most famous Egyptologist and an important account of the decades of hard work that made Carter an overnight superstar." Dan Snow, TV Historian "This book provides an excellent overview of the life and career of the most famous Egyptologist, Howard Carter. However, while Carter is synonymous with the tomb of Tutankhamun, the book largely focuses on Carter as an artist. It was written to accompany the largest surviving watercolour of Carter, which is a masterpiece in epigraphic recording. The book is richly illustrated throughout with archival images, and it is highly recommend for anyone with an interest in Egyptology!" Ken Griffin, Egypt Centre Curator ". . . we often forget that Archaeology is a dual discipline comprising of art and science. This volume captures the spirit of that notion, wrapped and embodied in Howard Carter's earlier artwork, a timely reminder that one cannot independently thrive without the other. Raksha Dave, Archaeologist, Broadcaster and President of the Council for British Archaeology
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