NASHVILLE.- The Frist Center for the Visual Arts presents the exhibit The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt. The exhibition features the largest selection of antiquities ever loaned by Egypt for exhibition in North America. The exhibition includes over 107 magnificent works, ranging from monumental stone sculptures of Egyptian royalty and deities to such luxurious tomb furnishings as gold jewelry, ornate coffins, a model of the river ship of the pharaoh Amenhotep II, and a sarcophagus painted with scenes of the afterlife. Also on view will be a full-scale reconstruction of the tomb of Thutmose III, as well as an educational exhibition on the ancient practice of mummification, which will include both human and animal mummies.

From the earliest times, Egyptians believed in a tremendously rich afterlife and devoted significant worldly resources to the quest for immortality. Complex religious beliefs were developed to explain and achieve everlasting life. This exhibition focuses on the understanding of the afterlife among Egyptians living approximately 3,000 years ago, in the period of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BCE) through the Late Period (664-332 BCE). This period marked the beginning of an era of great wealth, power, and stability. This time was also marked by a burst of cultural activity, much of which was devoted to the quest for eternal life.

On loan from the Egyptian government, objects in The Quest for Immortality are in the collections of The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, The Luxor Museum of Ancient Egypt, and the sites of Tanis and Deir el - Bahri.