Bottom of Coffin

Bottom of Coffin

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Egyptian Cosmos, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

In the interior painting on this bottom half of a coffin, the large figure represents Osiris, king of the dead. The mummy would have originally lain on top of this figure, thereby associating the deceased with the king who was successfully reborn into the afterlife. Lesser figures here include three images, in the top and second registers, of the human-headed bird called the ba-soul, which acts on behalf of the deceased in our world; and deities such as Anubis and Horus, who here protect Osiris by supporting his legs.

MEDIUM Wood, painted

•Possible Place Collected: Thebes, Egypt

DATES ca. 1070-945 B.C.E.

DYNASTY XXI Dynasty

PERIOD Third Intermediate Period

DIMENSIONS 17 1/4 x 1 1/2 x 70 3/4 in. (43.8 x 3.8 x 179.7 cm)

Brooklyn Museum

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