Through our work at Airpack we have had our fair share of experience in protecting high value works of art with inflatable packaging, but the story of how a priceless six tonnes 5.4 metre granite statue of the Egyptian god Hapy (with just the one ‘p’) was transported to the British Museum in London with the help of inflatable cushioning takes things to another level!
The pink granite statue of Hapy, a personification of the Nile flood that was crucial for the country’s fertility and wealth is the tallest object ever to come to the British Museum, and the tallest ever discovered of an Egyptian god.
The statue was transported by road and rail from Paris and included a trip through the Channel Tunnel. Roads around the British Museum were closed and even part of the roof of the museum was removed so a crane could gently lower the granite monolith.
The final stage was for the statue to be lowered onto a large inflatable air cushion (this was obviously the bit that really caught my eye!) so it could be carefully manoeuvred into position inside the gallery.
If you want to go and see the impressive 5.4 metre granite statue for yourself (sadly without the air cushioning!) along with many other interesting artefacts from two Egyptian cities that remained submerged under the sea for over a thousand years, luckily you can. The “Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds” exhibition will be on at the British Museum in London from now until the 27th November 2016.
