Late Period, Ca. 663-323 BC. An ancient Egyptian mummy shroud of beadwork from the chest of a mummified person, consisting of a net of dark green barrel and light green tubular beads with a green ring of beads to forming the face, the skin made of green beads, the nose formed and mouth formed of red beads, a winged scarab pectoral and four sons of Horus: Imsety, Duamutef, Hapi, Qebehsenuef. Protectors of the organs of the deceased. Shrouds of this type became popular in the Late Dynastic Period all the way through the Ptolemaic period and had both decorative and more importantly symbolic use, as the burial was a highly magical process. To the Egyptians, rebirth and accession into the afterlife were more important than the life they first lived. The afterlife was eternal, so every precaution was taken in order to achieve eternal life. Manley, B and Dodson, A., (2010) Life Everlasting. National Museums Scotland Collection of Ancient Egyptian Coffins (Edinburgh: NMS Enterprises Ltd.), Cat.43, p. 115 For a similar example, see National Museums of Scotland; Accession Number: A.1906.384.Size: L:255mm / W:150mm ; 94gProvenance: From an old British collection of Ancient Art formed in the 1990s on the UK and European art market.