A 25,000-Pound Sphinx Statue Is Being Moved Inside Philly's Penn Museum
The largest one in the western hemisphere.
A 25,000-pound Sphinx statue of the famed Pharaoh Ramses is currently being moved inside the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Museum officials began hauling the ancient artwork into the institution this past Tuesday, using air dollies to transport it through a maze of halls and doorways. Its final destination will be the museum’s main entrance lobby.
“This is a massive undertaking,” said curator Jen Wegner to 6ABC. “Of course, the number one concern is the safety of the people doing the project and the safety of the artifact as well,” pointed out Wegner.”
The 3,000-year-old sculpture was housed inside the museum’s Egypt Gallery since 1926, as per CBS. It initially arrived in Philadelphia on a boat from Germany back in 1913. The statue is now being billed as the largest Sphinx statue in the western hemisphere.
Check out the photos below to see the Sphinx on the move. For contemporary twists on ancient statues, check out Jin Shan’s distorted new sculptures at the Night Gallery.
My best #movethesphinx photo. Good luck this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/bOVi22jClp
— Stephanie Haynes (@schaynes) June 12, 2019
It’s almost time to #MoveTheSphinx at @pennmuseum!
This week, The Penn Museum is moving its colossal 25,000-pound Sphinx of Ramses II to the Main Entrance Hall of the Museum. It will be the first time the more than 3,000-year-old Sphinx, which is the la… https://t.co/WvVxI0dGui pic.twitter.com/8mLHb6eW0C— Penn (@Penn) June 10, 2019
Moving a 25,000-pound Sphinx requires a lot of energy…even with the help of air-dollies. The #MoveTheSphinx team is currently taking a lunch break. #SphinxWatch2019 pic.twitter.com/AqlEZfb7NC
— Penn Museum (@pennmuseum) June 12, 2019
