Sarcophagus of Pa-nehem-isis

Sarcophagus of Pa-nehem-isis
Coffins in the shape of a mummy are known in wood from as early as the Middle Kingdom; in the New Kingdom they are made of stone. The numerous such coffins dating from the Late Period are particularly impressive, especially since their faces, being the optically most conspicuous element of the coffin, have often been carved in the realistic style of contemporary portrait sculpture. The sarcophagus of Pa-nehem-isis [Pnehmêse] is a remarkable example from the Ptolemaic Period, with its large face and its profusion of inscriptions and images, covering the whole surface. The figures have been carved in the hard stone with great precision. The deceased is wearing the tripartite wig and a broad collar. No other part of the mummy's body has been indicated. The rear part of the wig merges into a broad back pillar.
Only the most important elements from the figurative decoration can be mentioned here. On the forehead is a scarab as a symbol of resurrection, flanked by two goddesses. Divided over the two sides are the rare, and for sarcophagi rather unique, depictions of the four winds or cardinal points. Below the broad collar is a pectoral with a winged scarab, flanked by Isis and Nephthys. Below this is a cartouche with the name of Osiris as Wen-nefer, flanked by two seated figures of Osiris. Below this in the first long register is a solar disk with rays flanked by Isis and Nephthys in adoration. Behind each goddess stand four worshipping baboons (see also the baboon figure with a king, Inv. No. 5782). The following register has a Ba-bird with a human head flanked by the gods Shu and Thoth and two further deities behind each of them. The fourth register shows the deceased as Osiris lying on a bier shaped like a lion, with the human-headed ba-bird hovering above him. Isis and Nephthys stand on either side of the bier and pour water over it. The foot end of the sarcophagus has a chapel depicted on the front with a djed-pillar symbolising Osiris. It is flanked by baboons holding knives with a protective function. Likewise, the two hieroglyphs for the "west", below it, belong to the Osirian symbolism as indicators of the realm of the dead. However, the flanking lions show that the signs represent the sunrise. In Egyptian theology, a link could be made between the two most significant images of the resurrection: Osiris and the sun.
The numerous texts on the body derive mainly from the various Books of the Netherworld, which describe the nocturnal journey of the sun. A small part has been taken from the Book of the Dead. The bottom has been engraved with depictions of gates with their armed doorkeepers, images representing the Netherworld.
Present location KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM [09/001] VIENNA
Inventory number 4
Dating PTOLEMAIC PERIOD
Archaeological Site SAQQARA NECROPOLIS
Category COFFIN/SARCOPHAGUS/CARTONNAGE
Material BASALT
Technique HEWN; POLISHED
Height 47.5 cm
Width 66.05 cm
Bibliography•Bergmann, E. von, Übersicht über die ägyptischen Alterthümer (1876).
•Bergmann, E. von, Der Sarkophag des Panechemisis, Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen des österreichisches Kaiserhauses I und II (1883, 1884), 1-40; 1-20.
•Seipel, W. (ed.), Gott Mensch Pharao (1992).
•Seipel, W. (ed.), Götter Menschen Pharaonen, Speyer (1993) = Dioses, Hombres, Faraones, Ciudad de México (1993) = Das Vermächtnis der Pharaonen, Zürich (1994).
•Katalog: "Osiris, Kreuz und Halbmond", Stuttgart (1984), Nr. 79.
•Satzinger, H., Ägyptisch-Orientalische Sammlung Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (museum), Braunschweig (Verlag Westermann), 1987.
•Satzinger, H., Das Kunsthistorische Museum in Wien. Die Ägyptisch-Orientalische Sammlung. Zaberns Bildbände zur Archäologie 14. Mainz. 1994.
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