Sandals and Finger and Toe Stalls

Photographer Harry Burton British

Not on view

Tutankhamun's famous sandals of gold sheet were created specifically for the burial; it would have been impossible to walk in them. The metal shoes had been put on his feet before his body was wrapped. They were removed together with the gold finger and toe stalls when Tutankhamun's mummy was unwrapped in 1925. Such procedures were common at the time but are no longer practiced.

The gold sandals' shape mimics that of footwear made of plant material and used in life, many examples of which were deposited in the pharaoh's tomb as well (see TAA 934). This type of shoe was placed in the tombs of nonroyals as well.

Sandals and Finger and Toe Stalls, Harry Burton (British (1879–1940)), Gelatin silver print from glass negative

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