Fragment of Coffin Lid

Culture: Ancient Egyptian
Period: Ptolemaic dynasty, 332–30 BCE
Date: 332–30 BCE
Material: Wood, plaster, and pigment
excavated in: Akhmim, Sawhaj governorate, Egypt, Africa
Classification: Sculpture, wood
Collection: Ancient Art
Current Location: On View, Gallery 313
Dimensions: 49 1/2 x 25 in. (125.7 x 63.5 cm)
Credit Line: Funds given by Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Jackes, John R. Longmire, Sam B. Cook, Mrs. G. Gordon Hertslet, Mr. and Mrs. Hubert C. Moog, Charles Schmitt and Company, Richard Shaw, Mrs. Edith D. Wolff, John F. Norwood, Mr. and Mrs. Henry T. Schlapp, Helen M. Longmire, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Donahue, Mrs. Lester J. Garber, Mrs. Leigh Gerdine, Robert E. Grote Jr., Mrs. G. L. Harris, Lois and Dick Horwitz, Einar and Ellie Ross, Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Rothbarth, Grace Morris Williamson and donors to the 1984 Art Enrichment Fund
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 87:1985

NOTES

The images on this coffin lid fragment tell the story of the journey to the afterlife. Reading from the top left like a comic strip, the first scene features the goddess Nut with her outstretched wings. This gesture, echoed by the winged scarab beetle above her head, protects the mummy and the deceased. Below that, the body of the deceased is laid out upon a lion-shaped bed. To either side, the gods Anubis and Thoth bring strips of linen to assist with the mummification. Next is the most treacherous part of the journey: the weighing of the heart. Seated within a small shrine, Osiris, king of the underworld, awaits the results. Will the deceased’s heart balance with the feather of truth? Or will it fail the test and be eaten by the hippo-headed monster seated on a table before Osiris? The bottom scene suggests that the deceased passed the test as indicated by the boat, which would have transported the deceased to the afterworld.

Back to search

We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.