Mr. A. Lucas writes (Appendix II, The Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen, Vol. ii, p.172 ff.):- "One very noticeable feature of this gold was the varied colour it presented, sometimes in patches and sometimes over the whole surface. The colour comprised bright yellow, dull yellow, grey and red of various shades, including reddish brown, light brick colour, blood colour, dull purple (plum colour), and a very remarkable rose colour, all except the last named manifestly being fortuitous, and due to chemical changes that had taken place during the time the objects had been in the tomb.

Although very few references to the occurrence of any sort of red colour on gold can be traced, the dark red of old gold is not uncommon, and even the characteristic rose colour may be seen on several small objects in the Cairo Museum (of this

(August 30, 2008)

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