Ancient Egypt, Late Period, ca. 712 to 300 BCE. A richly-painted wooden panel, probably from the side or center of a sarcophagus. Along the top is a row of relief cobras, each shown rearing. Below that is a flat panel depicting the winged sun motif, with the sun flanked by two bird bodies and the wings painted in several segments of different textures and colors of wings. Bright lines in ocher yellow, red, pale blue, and black decorate the background of the panel. A thin, raised border of wood is between the cobras and the winged sun. Size: 12.3" W x 5.65" H (31.2 cm x 14.4 cm)

All Egyptian funerary art was laden with symbolism that, by the Late Period, had become ancient tradition, and this piece is no exception. Along with the rest of the sarcophagus, this panel would have protected a mummy; the highly-trained artists who created it and the bereaved family members who commissioned it believed in the power of the symbols and words they painted to aid the deceased in the afterlife.

Provenance: private Davis Collection, Houston, Texas, USA

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#132873

Loss to upper left (facing) as shown. Very old, inactive insect damage and other wear commensurate with age. Excellent remaining pigment.