Bowers staff works with Xinjiang Museum and Xinjiang Archaeology Institute couriers to unpack a 7th-9th Century wooden tomb figure of a horse from the Astana tombs.
The last few days at the museum have been focused on uncrating, unpacking, condition reporting and installing objects for the
Secrets of the Silk Road exhibition. We have had a lot of interest in the exhibition generated by the
NY Times and
USA today articles that have come out this week and it has been wonderful to receive phone calls and emails from all over the country from people eager to see this historic exhibition.
When checking the condition of objects I usually find that I am so focused on the details and possible weaknesses of an object that I forget that I am looking at, or even holding in my own hands, an artifact of great historic significance - I see the scratch instead of the Frida Kahlo collage or the cracks not the terracotta warrior. This was not the case however when it came time to examine the infant mummy from Zaghunluq (the same mummy featured in the NY Times). Even though this 8-10 month old baby lived around 1000 BC there is no question that it was deeply loved by its parents. The baby was sweetly wrapped in brilliant red and blue wool textiles, a tuft of blond hair on its forehead peaks out from under its bonnet. A horn for drinking and a sack filled with milk were placed at the baby's sides so that even in the afterlife it had sustenance. Two flat rocks were placed over each of the eyes before it was laid to rest (one stone is removed in the picture below). Three thousand years later it is possible to feel the love the parents had for this child and for me, experiencing an emotional connection with ancient people has been extraordinary.
Condition reporting an infant mummy at the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum
Our Registrar and Collections team have been working with the Chinese couriers from Xinjiang and our Exhibits crew to make sure everything is ready to be placed in the gallery. Many objects require special mounts, display stands and placement. You can see some of the photos from unpacking and examination at Bowers below. Don't forget you can
purchase tickets ahead of time to see the exhibition on our website. Even though we are working long hours we never lose sight of what an amazing exhibition this is and how wonderful it will be to finally share it with you.
What appears to be an unattractive woman is actually a eunuch. Dressed in a beautiful robe, his long-sleeved arms are able to be posed to show all types of dance movements.
Our team examines tomb goods from Astana. A miniature quiver and set of bows can be seen in the foreground. The quiver is decorated with two men on horseback hunting what appears to be a tiger.
This portion of an oxhead still has portions of hair that were intentionally left in place; the forehead is painted and a bundle of hemp wrapped with wool cord is attached between the horns. Probably about 4000 years old, the head was used ceremoniously.
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Bowers staff works with Xinjiang Museum and Xinjiang Archaeology Institute couriers to unpack a 7th-9th Century wooden tomb figure of a horse from the Astana tombs. 
Condition reporting an infant mummy at the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum
What appears to be an unattractive woman is actually a eunuch. Dressed in a beautiful robe, his long-sleeved arms are able to be posed to show all types of dance movements.
Our team examines tomb goods from Astana. A miniature quiver and set of bows can be seen in the foreground. The quiver is decorated with two men on horseback hunting what appears to be a tiger.
This portion of an oxhead still has portions of hair that were intentionally left in place; the forehead is painted and a bundle of hemp wrapped with wool cord is attached between the horns. Probably about 4000 years old, the head was used ceremoniously.
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