Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th Dynasty, ca. 664 to 525 BCE. A wonderful example of a petite coffin model, made from two pieces of wood, adorned with gesso over linens, and then decorated with pigment in hues of pink, turquoise, black, and creamy white. The figural coffin exhibits a mummiform presentation with an ornamental band across the chest as well as a polychrome tripartite wig atop the head. The serene visage peers outwards with almond-shaped eyes bearing elongated canthi and has a flush nose, full lips outlined in black, cupped ears emanating from the temples, and a polychrome false beard; a column of hieroglyphs is displayed down the verso. Attached to the base is a third piece of wood that suggests this coffin model was meant to be displayed in a standing pose. The detailing and lack of an insertion cavity atop the head suggests this coffin model was not intended to resemble the more-common Ptah-Sokar-Osiris coffins. Size: 4.6" L x 4" W x 16.75" H (11.7 cm x 10.2 cm x 42.5 cm)

The verso of the coffin is painted with a column of hieroglyphs, though few are still legible. Their mirror image positions indicate that this was meant to be read in a right-to-left manner, and clearly we can see three "E"s at the top as well as the symbol for stairs a few lines down. Many of the other hieroglyphs seem to have been deliberately destroyed - the animal glyphs, in particular - a sad but unfortunately prevalent practice for objects placed in burial chambers. Based on a similar example in the British Museum, these hieroglyphs represented some kind of spells for protection in the afterlife. On the other side is a better preserved painting showing a mummiform body; the paint has faded to pale pink, blue, and cream, with black details including a goatee and crown. The facial details are well-painted and wonderfully Egyptian, with huge eyes and dark, large eyebrows. The interior of the coffin is empty; the hollowed-out chamber is only in the upper body, with the legs not cut out. This chamber would once have contained a model of a human figure, perhaps made of wax or mud. One suggestion for their purpose is that they were meant as replacements where a real body had been lost, perhaps in a fire or flood.

Provenance: private Lexington, Kentucky, USA collection; ex-Artemis Gallery, Louisville, Colorado, USA; ex-private Hagar collection, Wildwood, Missouri, USA; ex-private North Carolina, USA collection, acquired in the 1980s

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#173451

Repair to bottom portion with chipping to gesso as well as wood and adhesive residue along break lines. Possible touch-up painting to black details in scattered areas, else remaining pigment is original. Age wear, especially to the underside, with some losses to the wood along the connecting edges. Losses to the gesso and cracks to the paint/plaster are also present. Much artwork remains.