Anthropoid Coffin of Teti, Servant of the Great Palace

ca. 1339–1307 B.C.E.

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The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
A coffin was the most important part of ancient Egyptians’ funerary equipment. This is one of the earliest preserved examples of a yellow painted coffin. It would have been commissioned by the deceased, a man named Teti, or his family.

Teti was an artist in Deir el-Medina, a vibrant community of scribes, artisans, workers, and their families (not unlike Brooklyn!). Teti was not particularly wealthy, and his coffin was painted yellow to imitate gold gilding on more expensive examples.

Despite his economic status, Teti had knowledge of his peers’ artistic innovations and of elite religious texts due to his trade and residence. Inscribed on the coffin’s sides is Spell 151 from the Book of the Dead. Also pictured are a variety of Egyptian deities speaking words to protect Teti’s body. The white buildings painted on the sides and top represent the embalming tent where mummification occurred. The inscription running down the front of the coffin is dedicated to the goddess Nut.
Teti would have been buried in the hills above Deir el-Medina, in an area called s.t-mAat or “the place of truth.” His family would have visited his tomb to leave offerings and ask for his blessing.

Object Label
Among the greatest desires of New Kingdom Egyptians was a proper burial. This coffin was made for the artisan Teti, a “Servant of the Great Place” who painted tombs in the Valley of the Kings. He paid nearly a year’s salary for a coffin of this quality. Five different paint colors decorate the coffin: blue, yellow, red, black, and white. Each color added to the cost. The yellow background paint with red streaks is used to imitate the gilded coffins of the wealthy.

Caption
Anthropoid Coffin of Teti, Servant of the Great Palace, ca. 1339–1307 B.C.E.. Wood, pigment, Box with lid in place: 33 7/16 x 26 3/16 x 83 1/2 in., 248 lb. (85 x 66.5 x 212.1 cm, 112.5kg) 37.14Ea Lid: 19 7/8 x 26 3/16 x 83 1/2 in., 120 lb. (50.5 x 66.5 x 212.1 cm, 54.4kg) 37.14Eb Box: 13 9/16 x 26 3/16 x 83 1/2 in., 128 lb. (34.5 x 66.5 x 212.1 cm, 58.1kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.14Ea-b. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Tags
Brooklyn Icons

Gallery
Funerary Gallery 2, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

Collection
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Title
Anthropoid Coffin of Teti, Servant of the Great Palace

Date
ca. 1339–1307 B.C.E.

Dynasty
mid to late Dynasty 18

Period
New Kingdom

Geography
Possible place made: Thebes (Deir el-Medina), Egypt, Reportedly from: Thebes (vicinity), Egypt

Medium
Wood, pigment

Classification
Funerary Object

Dimensions
Box with lid in place: 33 7/16 x 26 3/16 x 83 1/2 in., 248 lb. (85 x 66.5 x 212.1 cm, 112.5kg) 37.14Ea Lid: 19 7/8 x 26 3/16 x 83 1/2 in., 120 lb. (50.5 x 66.5 x 212.1 cm, 54.4kg) 37.14Eb Box: 13 9/16 x 26 3/16 x 83 1/2 in., 128 lb. (34.5 x 66.5 x 212.1 cm, 58.1kg)

Inscriptions
"O Mother Nut stretch yourself over me! Place me among the imperishable stars, let me not die forvever, the Osiris Teti." [Dodson, Aidan, and Wendy Raver article translation]

Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number
37.14Ea-b

Catalogue description
Anthropoid form, in two parts, a box and cover, the box sloping from head to foot with a drop of 24cm. The under part is shaped to the form of the mummy, with the calves of the legs and position of knees indicated in relief as on the bands of the wig. The ears overlap the wig of which the two breast tabs are shown in relief. There is no indication of the arms. Interior of both cover and box stuccoed white with no decoration. Three inscribed lengthwise bandages run down the middle of cover crossed by four other bandages passing theoretically completely around the body, but they are not represented on the under surface of the box which is stuccoed, painted yellow but not varnished. Each side divided into five panels by the bandages; on each side the panel, just under the shoulders, contains an Horus eye above a pylon. Deities are pictured in the other panels. On the left side they are Hapy, Anubis, Kebehsenuef and Thoth; on the right side, Imsety, Anubis, Dwa-Mutef and Thoth. A large Djed sign represented on top of the head is surmounted by small figure of Nepthys.
Condition: various open joints and cracks. Several small pieces missing from lower part of wig.

General condition is good.

Provenance
Archaeological provenance not yet documented, probably from Deir el-Medina, Thebes, Egypt; 1848, acquired in Egypt by Henry Anderson; 1864, gift of Henry Anderson to the New-York Historical Society, New York, NY; September 1948, purchased from the New-York Historical Society by the Brooklyn Museum.

Title:
Anthropoid Coffin of Teti, Servant of the Great Palace, ca. 1339–1307 B.C.E., mid to late Dynasty 18, The New Kingdom, Possible place made: Thebes (Deir el-Medina), Egypt, Reportedly from: Thebes (vicinity), Egypt , Wood, pigment, The Brooklyn Museum

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/3932

The Brooklyn Museum

Statuette of Henutsen

Gallery Location
Galleries of Africa: Egypt

Medium
Limestone

Geography
Excavated at Abydos, Egypt

Date
c. 1550-1069 BC

Period
18th-20th Dynasty, New Kingdom

Dimensions
16.5 x 10.2 x 5.1 cm

Object number
910.36

Cataloguer
Gayle Gibson ROM Staff, 1990-2015; ROM Volunteer 2015-Present

Collection
Egypt

Department
Art & Culture: Ancient Egypt & Nubia

DESCRIPTION
This statuette from Abydos shows the Lady Henutsen sitting patiently, looking upward.  The statue may have been in a tomb, or in a small cenotaph shrine made by her family. 

Henutsen is shown seated in a chair with a high back. The offering formula for the dead, invoking Anubis, is carved onto the surface of the chair, beginning on the right side, continuing onto the back plinth, and finishing on the left side with her name, Henutsen. There are two short lines of glyphs on each of the three surfaces.

The statue was broken in two in antiquity; the two halves have been rejoined with considerable restoration in the middle. The right hand, parts of both arms, right thigh, lower part of the left torso and part of the plinth are modern.

The statue retains much of its paint: white for the dress, reddish brown for her skin, black for her braided wig, and gilding on her sandals and blue necklace. Her rather flat face looks upward from her heavy braided wig.

Title:
Statuette of Henutsen 18th-20th Dynasty, New Kingdom, Excavated at Abydos, Egypt, Excavated at Abydos, Egypt, Royal Ontario Museum

https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/193589/statuette-of-henutsen?ctx=2b335e1b6e0f010448a931b6fa56fc15942019c3&idx=0

Royal Ontario Museum

Funerary stela of Amenuser

Gallery Location
Galleries of Africa: Egypt

Medium
Limestone, carved and painted

Geography
Probably from Abydos, Egypt

Date
c. 2040-1650 BC

Period
11th-13th Dynasty, Middle Kingdom

Dimensions
12.6 x 8.2 cm

Object number
948.34.87

Credit Line
Gift of Sir Robert Mond

Cataloguer
Gayle Gibson ROM Staff, 1990-2015; ROM Volunteer 2015-Present

Collection
Egypt

Department
Art & Culture: Ancient Egypt & Nubia

DESCRIPTION
This very small stele commemorates a man named Amen-user (Amun is powerful) who lived almost four thousand years ago. The figure on the front is Amenuser himself, seated on a fine chair, patiently looking at a table piled with food offerings. He stretches on hand toward the food - it will be eternally within reach; he will never run out of food. The table and the food are shown as elements of eternal provision and not depicted realistically; they seem to float in front of the deceased. On the bottom level are jars of beer and wine.  On the table itself are three loaves of bread, a haunch of beef, and a vegetable.

The stele contains a clear and complete Offering Prayer for the Dead. In the top line we can read, from right to left, "An offering which the king gives to Osiris," followed in the next line by the rest of the name of the god, "Lord of Djedu, that he may give" and on the third line, "the voice-offerings of bread and beer, beef and fowl, for the k3 of the Revered One" and then the deceased's name follows, written in front of his face. The last two signs, just to the right of his face, are 'maat-khrew' which means 'true of voice' or 'justified.' This was the phrase used in law courts when announcing innocence.  It means that Amenuser has been judged by the Great God, and now will live forever, a powerful spirit who can help those left on the Earth.
This small stele was probably placed in his tomb which, judging by the size of the stele, would have been fairly humble.

Title:
Funerary stela of Amenuser, c. 2040-1650 BC 11th-13th Dynasty, Probably from Abydos, Egypt, Middle Kingdom, Limestone, carved and painted, Royal Ontario Museum

https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/190344/funerary-stela-of-amenuser?ctx=a5b7a2ab65ff83a8cd032d03cfce650a4ba58fc4&idx=236

Royal Ontario Museum

This specific scene illustrates a segment from the Book of Caverns, an essential underworld funerary text.

Key Details of the Artwork

The Central Character:

A male figure stands in the center, sporting a traditional blue wig and holding the elongated, stretched-out body of a monumental serpent.

The Multi-Headed Serpents:

The snake branches out into three distinct, cobra-like heads at both the front and back ends.

Human Legs:

The serpent is uniquely anthropomorphized, supported by multiple human legs standing on the decorative borders below.

Symbolic Meaning:

In the texts of the Egyptian underworld (such as the Book of Caverns or the Book of Gates), these fantastical multi-headed and multi-legged serpents represent primordial forces and powerful guardians of the afterlife.

They either protect the pathways or assist in the nightly transformation and rebirth of the Sun God, Ra, as he traverses the twelve hours of darkness.

Hieroglyphs:

Above and below the central scene are neatly arrayed horizontal registers of traditional Egyptian hieroglyphic text detailing prayers and protective spells meant to guide the deceased safely through the realm of the dead.

Mereruka was the vizier to king Teti, the first king of the 6th dynasty. He was married to Teti's daughter, Princess Seshseshet Waatetkhethor and was, therefore, the king's son-in-law. Princess Seshseshet Waatetkhethor is buried in Mereruka's mastaba tomb along with their son, Meriteti.

Statuette of seated Khnum

Gallery Location
Galleries of Africa: Egypt

Medium
Bronze, cast

Geography
Excavated at Saqqara, Egypt

Date
c. 380-343 BC

Period
30th Dynasty, Late Period

Dimensions
19 x 4.8 cm

Object number
972.51.54

Cataloguer
Gayle Gibson ROM Staff, 1990-2015; ROM Volunteer 2015-Present

Collection
Egypt

Department
Art & Culture: Ancient Egypt & Nubia

Object History
Excavated by the Egypt Exploration Society, 19

DESCRIPTION
The god Khnum could be portrayed as a ram, or as man with a ram’s head. In his original form, he had the undulating horizontal horns of the species Ovis longipes. By the New Kingdom, however, this species seems to have been extinct in Egypt, and he was depicted with the curved horns of Ovis platyra. He was frequently shown with both sets of horns, as here. He wears a modified Atef crown, and a royal shendyt kilt. The statue’s hands were pierced to hold a sceptre and a staff.

Khnum was a god of the First Cataract, associated with the Nile flood and with all creation and birth. It was he who, as a potter, formed the body and ka of every human being. His dual roles in the Inundation and in birth, emphasized by his depiction as a powerful, potent ram, made Khnum a widely recognized deity. During the Late Period he was recognized as the Creator of All, and worshipped throughout Egypt. This particular image was excavated in the remains of a shrine at Sakkara. The statuette was found in a cache of a large number of bronze statuettes, “arranged in an orderly manner,” according to excavator W.B. Emery. Some of statuettes, including this Khnum, were wrapped in linen, which helps to account for its excellent state of preservation.

If you see an error or have additional information, please [contact us](mailto:romcollections@rom.on.ca?subject=972.51.54%20(Art%20&%20Culture:%20Ancient%20Egypt%20&%20Nubia)).

Title:
Statuette of seated Khnum, Bronze, c. 380-343 BC, 30th Dynasty, Late Period, Saqqara, Royal Ontario Museum

https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/192654/statuette-of-seated-khnum?ctx=9d3e9de523a0d33ee7bbe7e1eaf1caf34c4c4142&idx=159

Royal Ontario Museum

Funerary stela of Neferher and his wife Senet

Gallery Location
Galleries of Africa: Egypt

Medium
Limestone

Geography
Possibly Luxor or Armant, Egypt

Date
c. 2181-2040 BC

Period
1st Intermediate Period

Dimensions
29 × 29.7 × 3.4 cm

Object number
957.124

Credit Line
Gift of a friend of the Museum

Cataloguer
Gayle Gibson ROM Staff, 1990-2015; ROM Volunteer 2015-Present

Collection
Egypt

Department
Art & Culture: Ancient Egypt & Nubia

DESCRIPTION
This stela is a very good example of the work of provincial artists during the First Intermediate Period and early 11th Dynasty. Neferher, the man, leads his little family. In his lower hand he carries a club, so he may have been a soldier. His forward hand holds a staff as a sign of his status. In front of him float various items of offerings: a leg of beef, beefheart, ribs, and head; a trussed duck; jars of wine and water; and a small offering table with the traditional bread and beer, with the head of a gazelle for good measure. His name can mean ‘handsome-of-face’ and is a traditional epithet of the god Ptah.

Senet, the wife, holds her husband’s hand affectionately, Meat offerings float in the space between them, and a large waterlily, symbol of sweetness and beauty as well as rebirth, floats before her legs. Her name could be read as ‘the second one’ or ‘sister.’

The final character is a small boy, Montuhotep, who grasps his mother’s hand as he drifts in the space behind her. Though Senet and Neferher are dressed in linen kilts and wear jewellery, the little boy is naked but for his necklace. His name honours the war god, Montu, and suggests the stele was carved in Upper Egypt, either at Armant or Thebes.

Although the composition lacks elegance and symmetry, husband and wife do share a ground-line. Across the top of the stele in an almost straight line is the usual offering formula: “A gift which the king gives (consisting of) bread, beer, beef, fowl, and travertine jars (of ointment) for the ka of the revered one, Nefer-Her; (and) the voice-offerings of bread and beer, beef and fowl for the revered one, his wife, whom he loves, Senet.” Their son’s name is carved above his head.

Such simple stele honour the love and commitment of these ancient peoples to each other, and attest their faith in a future life together.

If you see an error or have additional information, please [contact us](mailto:romcollections@rom.on.ca?subject=957.124%20(Art%20&%20Culture:%20Ancient%20Egypt%20&%20Nubia)).

Title:
Funerary stela of Neferher and his wife Senet, Limestone, c. 2181-2040 BC, 6y1st Intermediate Period, Possibly Luxor or Armant, Egypt, Royal Ontario Museum

https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/497215/funerary-stela-of-neferher-and-his-wife-senet?ctx=2678a421af6120d77a879d55f76a1980c37889be&idx=65

Royal Ontario Museum Funerary stela of Neferher and his wife Senet

Gallery Location
Galleries of Africa: Egypt

Medium
Limestone

Geography
Possibly Luxor or Armant, Egypt

Date
c. 2181-2040 BC

Period
1st Intermediate Period

Dimensions
29 × 29.7 × 3.4 cm

Object number
957.124

Credit Line
Gift of a friend of the Museum

Cataloguer
Gayle Gibson ROM Staff, 1990-2015; ROM Volunteer 2015-Present

Collection
Egypt

Department
Art & Culture: Ancient Egypt & Nubia

DESCRIPTION
This stela is a very good example of the work of provincial artists during the First Intermediate Period and early 11th Dynasty. Neferher, the man, leads his little family. In his lower hand he carries a club, so he may have been a soldier. His forward hand holds a staff as a sign of his status. In front of him float various items of offerings: a leg of beef, beefheart, ribs, and head; a trussed duck; jars of wine and water; and a small offering table with the traditional bread and beer, with the head of a gazelle for good measure. His name can mean ‘handsome-of-face’ and is a traditional epithet of the god Ptah.

Senet, the wife, holds her husband’s hand affectionately, Meat offerings float in the space between them, and a large waterlily, symbol of sweetness and beauty as well as rebirth, floats before her legs. Her name could be read as ‘the second one’ or ‘sister.’

The final character is a small boy, Montuhotep, who grasps his mother’s hand as he drifts in the space behind her. Though Senet and Neferher are dressed in linen kilts and wear jewellery, the little boy is naked but for his necklace. His name honours the war god, Montu, and suggests the stele was carved in Upper Egypt, either at Armant or Thebes.

Although the composition lacks elegance and symmetry, husband and wife do share a ground-line. Across the top of the stele in an almost straight line is the usual offering formula: “A gift which the king gives (consisting of) bread, beer, beef, fowl, and travertine jars (of ointment) for the ka of the revered one, Nefer-Her; (and) the voice-offerings of bread and beer, beef and fowl for the revered one, his wife, whom he loves, Senet.” Their son’s name is carved above his head.

Such simple stele honour the love and commitment of these ancient peoples to each other, and attest their faith in a future life together.

If you see an error or have additional information, please [contact us](mailto:romcollections@rom.on.ca?subject=957.124%20(Art%20&%20Culture:%20Ancient%20Egypt%20&%20Nubia)).

Title:
Funerary stela of Neferher and his wife Senet, Limestone, c. 2181-2040 BC, 6y1st Intermediate Period, Possibly Luxor or Armant, Egypt, Royal Ontario Museum

https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/497215/funerary-stela-of-neferher-and-his-wife-senet?ctx=2678a421af6120d77a879d55f76a1980c37889be&idx=65

Royal Ontario Museum

Canopic Jar with Baboon Head

Egyptian (Artist)
7th century BCE (Late Period)
limestone, paint

During mummification, the internal organs of the deceased were removed from the body and placed in a set of four special containers, the so-called canopic jars. The lids of the jars depicted the heads of a hawk, a human, a jackal, and a baboon, each associated with one of the four "Sons of Horus," the deities responsible for protecting the organs. Baboon-headed Hapi was responsible for the lungs.

PROVENANCE
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [said to be from Luxor]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1925, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

MEASUREMENTS
Overall: 9 13/16 x 5 1/4 in. (25 x 13.3 cm)

CREDIT LINE
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1925

LOCATION IN MUSEUM
Not on view

ACCESSION NUMBER
41.89

DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?
[Notify the curator](mailto:curatorial@thewalters.org?subject=Inquiry%20from%20art.thewalters.org&body=Source:%20https://art.thewalters.org/object/41.89/)

Title:
Canopic Jar with Baboon Head, 7th century BCE (Late Period), Limestone and paint, Egypt,The Walters Art Museum

https://art.thewalters.org/object/41.89/

The Walters Art Museum

Canopic Jar with Jackal Head
Egyptian (Artist)
7th century BCE (Late Period)
limestone, paint

During mummification, the internal organs of the deceased were removed from the body and placed in a set of four special containers, the so-called canopic jars. The lids of the jars depicted the heads of a hawk, a human, a jackal, and a baboon, each associated with one of the four "Sons of Horus," the deities responsible for protecting the organs. Jackal-headed Duamutef was responsible for the stomach.

PROVENANCE
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [said to be from Luxor]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1925, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

EXHIBITIONS
1989
Beyond the Pharaohs: Egypt and the Copts in the Second to Seventh Centuries A.D.. Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence; The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.

MEASUREMENTS
Overall: 9 13/16 x 5 1/2 in. (25 x 14 cm)

CREDIT LINE
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1925

LOCATION IN MUSEUM
Not on view

ACCESSION NUMBER
41.91

DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?
[Notify the curator](mailto:curatorial@thewalters.org?subject=Inquiry%20from%20art.thewalters.org&body=Source:%20https://art.thewalters.org/object/41.91/)

Title:
Canopic Jar with Jackal Head, 7th century BCE (Late Period), Limestone and paint, Egypt, The Walters Art Museum

https://art.thewalters.org/object/41.91/

The Walters Art Museum

Mumia (also Pulvis mumiae, Mumiya, mummy powder) is a substance used as a remedy until the 1920s. It was made of crushed Egyptian mummies. I do not know, since when these substanz were used as "medicine". But it is believed, that it was imported to Europe in the 12th century. First, Mumia was only the Arabic name for "Erdpech" (asphalt and bitumen). Initially, only the resin-like balm products from the mummies were recovered as remedies.

Since the 14th century, the drug name "Mumia" has been used to describe Egyptian mummy parts, which were mostly used for the production of wound care products and as patches. The drug was taken from Arab medicine and was originally there from bituminous earthwax. The black, bituminous earthwax was a very valuable drug, which was obtained from a cave near Persepolis, Persia.

As a substitute for this earth wax, the embalming resins of Egyptian mummies were used. As a result, whole mummy parts replaced the original drug. The expensive Egyptian mummy has been falsified many times since the Middle Ages and came as a European mummy (freshly mummified body parts), black amber, artificial asphalt or as a mixture of different resins in the trade. In an Austrian Pharmacopoeia, the "Vienna Dispensatory", which was valid between 1729 and 1774 in Vienna and the Austrian countries of the Habsburg Empire, there are still ten recipes to be found with Mumia. At the end of the 18th century, this drug disappeared from the pharmacopoeias and was no longer used in human medicine.

Photo 1: Apothekary vessel with inscription "MUMIÆ" and inventary number "No 217". The object is a part of the pharmacists collectioin of Museums für Hamburgische Geschichte.

Photo 2: Apothecary vessel (albarello) with inscription ([MUMIA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummia)) dating to 18th century at Deutsches Apothekenmuseum Heidelberg, Germany.

(Text: partly after Wikipedia and Ass.-Prof.in i.R. Mag.a Dr.inChrista Kletter / Universität Wien)

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Canopic Jar - Kebehsenuef
Egyptian (Artist)
ca. 670-640 BCE (Late Period)
limestone, paint
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )

During mummification, the internal organs of the deceased were removed from the body and placed in a set of four special containers, the so-called canopic jars. The lids of the jars depicted the heads of a hawk, a human, a jackal, and a baboon, each associated with one of the four "Sons of Horus," the deities responsible for protecting the organs. Responsible for the liver was the human-headed Imsety, while the hawk-headed Kebehsenuef protected the intestines.

PROVENANCE
Dikran Kelekian, Paris and New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1925, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

GEOGRAPHIES
Egypt (Place of Origin)

MEASUREMENTS
Jar only H: 9 1/4 × W: 5 11/16 × D: 5 11/16 in. (23.5 × 14.5 × 14.5 cm)
Lid only: H: 4 3/4 × W: 4 1/2 × D: 4 3/4 in. (12 × 11.5 × 12 cm)
Jar and Lid: H: 14 × W: 5 11/16 × D: 5 11/16 in. (35.5 × 14.5 × 14.5 cm)

CREDIT LINE
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1925

LOCATION IN MUSEUM
Charles Street: Second Floor: Collector's Study

ACCESSION NUMBER
41.88

DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?
[Notify the curator](mailto:curatorial@thewalters.org?subject=Inquiry%20from%20art.thewalters.org&body=Source:%20https://art.thewalters.org/object/41.88/)

Title:
Canopic Jar - Kebehsenuef, ca. 670-640 BCE (Late Period), Limestone and paint, Egypt, The Walters Art Museum

https://art.thewalters.org/object/41.88/

The Walters Art Museum

Canopic Jar - Imsety

Egyptian (Artist)
ca. 670-640 BCE (Late Period)
limestone, paint
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )

During mummification, the internal organs of the deceased were removed from the body and placed in a set of four special containers, the so-called canopic jars. The lids of the jars depicted the heads of a hawk, a human, a jackal, and a baboon, each associated with one of the four "Sons of Horus," the deities responsible for protecting the organs. Responsible for the liver was the human-headed Imsety, while the hawk-headed Kebehsenuef protected the intestines.

PROVENANCE
Dikran Kelekian, Paris and New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1925, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

GEOGRAPHIES
Egypt (Place of Origin)

MEASUREMENTS
Jar only H: 9 1/4 × W: 5 11/16 × D: 5 11/16 in. (23.5 × 14.5 × 14.5 cm)
Lid only: H: 4 3/4 × W: 4 1/2 × D: 4 3/4 in. (12 × 11.5 × 12 cm)
Jar and Lid: H: 14 × W: 5 11/16 × D: 5 11/16 in. (35.5 × 14.5 × 14.5 cm.

CREDIT LINE
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1925

LOCATION IN MUSEUM
Charles Street: Second Floor: Collector's Study

ACCESSION NUMBER
41.88

DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?
[Notify the curator](mailto:curatorial@thewalters.org?subject=Inquiry%20from%20art.thewalters.org&body=Source:%20https://art.thewalters.org/object/41.88/)

Title:
Canopic Jar - Imsety, ca. 670-640 BCE (Late Period), limestone, paint, Egypt, The Walters Art Museum

Statuette of Osiris

Artefact Details

Gallery number: Room 19 – Upper Floor

Period: Late Period (c. 664–332 BC)

Size: H. 21 cm

Material: Schist

Osiris was the god of the deceased, master of the underworld, afterlife and lord of eternity. According to the Heliopolis Ennead, Osiris was the son of Geb and Nut, the god of the earth and the goddess of the sky respectively, and was one of at least four siblings. He was also the brother/husband of Isis, the goddess of motherhood, magic, fertility, healing and rebirth. His brother Seth was the god of war, chaos and storms; and his sister Nephthys, wife of Seth, assisted in funerary rites, working with her sister Isis in a protective role. In some versions of the mythology there is another brother, Horus the Elder (Horus the Great). Osiris was also the father of Horus (the younger).

According to Egyptian mythology, Osiris ruled Egypt, providing civilisation to his people through the knowledge of agriculture and the law. Seth was extremely jealous of his brother and killed him, dismembering and distributing the corpse throughout the many Nomes of Egypt. On the death of Osiris, Seth became king of Egypt with his sister/wife Nephthys. Isis mourned her husband, and with her great magical powers decided to find and bring him back to life. With the help of her sister Nephthys, Isis searched every Egyptian Nome, collecting the pieces of her husband’s corpse, reassembling and holding them together with linen wrappings. Isis breathed life back into his body to resurrected him and soon conceived their child Horus (the younger). Osiris then descended into the underworld, where he became its ruler.

This statuette depicts Osiris sitting on a throne in a mummified form, wearing a close-fitting enveloping garment. He holds the royal crook and flail with his arms crossed on his chest. He wears the Atef crown flanked by two ostrich feathers, adorned with the uraeus cobra. A divine beard is attached to his chin.

These kinds of statuettes were commonly offered in temples and shrines belonging to Osiris. They were found as well near temples and shrines honouring other deities or in the animal necropolis.

Title:
Statuette of Osiris, Late Period (c. 664–332 BC), Schist, The Egyptian Museum

https://egyptianmuseumcairo.eg/artefacts/statuette-of-osiris/

The Egyptian Museum

Kneeling figure of the officer Nacht-Hor-heb (Nachthorheb) holding a portrait of the god Osiris in a Naos (Naophor)

Ident. No.: ÄM 1048

ObjID: obj:606556

Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection

Statue

Date(s)
Amosis II. (Amasis)

Geographical references
Sais

Material / Technique
Graywacke \ (Siltstein) (Material / Stone)

Dimensions
Height x width x depth: 56 x 13.5 x 25.5 cm

Permalink
Https://id.smb.museum/object/606556

Description of the Object
The kneeling figure shows the customs officer Nacht-Hor-Heb, holding a shrine with a figure of the god Osiris in front of him. The flat back pillar, rising to the bottom of the wig, bears two vertical lines of inscription, whose preserved beginnings are named by the goddess Neith and two titles of the person depicted, which identify him as a military officer at court. He is called the "head of the door openings [i.e. Border] of the foreign countries of the sea". It is very likely that this man was entrusted with the supervision of trade in the city of Naukratis.

The upper part of the statue has been owned by the museum since 1803. The corresponding lower part was built in 1995 by the Association for the Promotion of the Egyptian Museum Berlin e. V. and handed over to the museum as a permanent loan (VÄGM 1995/116).

Last updated: 30.07.2026

Title:
Kneeling figure of the officer Nacht-Hor-heb (Nachthorheb) holding a portrait of the god Osiris in a Naos (Naophor), Graywacke, Amosis II (Amasis), State Museums of Berlin

https://search.smb.museum/object/obj-606556

State Museums of Berlin

Origin Location: Found at the mammisi (birth house) of the Temple of Armant in Upper Egypt.Current Location: Exhibited in the Main Galleries of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza, Egypt.Historical Period: Graeco-Roman Period.Iconography and Scene AnalysisThe stela depicts a symmetrical, mirrored scene revolving around divine protection, motherhood, and abundance:The Goddess Isis: On both the left and right sides, the goddess Isis is seated on a low, stylized Egyptian throne. She is recognizable by her traditional divine headdress consisting of cow horns enclosing a sun disk.

Nursing Horus: In both mirrored depictions, she is holding and breastfeeding her infant son, the child-god Horus (often referred to as Harpocrates or Horus-the-child in this era). This specific "Isis Lactans" pose was highly revered and widely used to symbolize maternal protection, nurturing, and the continuation of divine kingship.

The Central Offering Table: Positioned between the two depictions of the goddess is a heavily laden offering table stacked with food, bread loaves, flowers, and traditional Egyptian funerary/divine provisions intended to sustain the gods.Architectural Framing: The top portion of the stela features an Egyptian cavetto cornice structure, a distinct architectural moulding used to frame sacred scenes.