Egypt, Third Intermediate Period to Late Dynastic Period, ca. 1070 to 332 BCE. A handsome cartonnage panel from a sarcophagus depicting two and a half scenes. The panel at the top shows the body of the deceased on a lion-headed table, flanked by two women and with a ba bird soaring overhead, representing the journey between the worlds of the living and the dead. Below the figure are four oversized canopic jars, each with a head of a Son of Horus. The middle panel features the Sons of Horus, each mummiform, two on either side facing a bar of hieroglyphs that is through the center of the panel. The bottom panel, which is only partial, shows four identical wigged heads atop mummiform bodies, each holding what looks like a spear. Size of cartonnage inside of shadow box, which is nearly the same size: 8.2" W x 12.25" H (20.8 cm x 31.1 cm)

The four Sons of Horus are Duamutef (jackal form), Imsety (human form), Hapi (baboon form), and Qebehsenuef (hawk form). Horus's sons were the ones charged with protecting the internal organs, as they had originally been charged with protecting the body of Osiris; as a result, their heads often form the lids of canopic jars.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, acquired in the 1970s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#146595

Piece is a fragment with some losses at edges and craquelure on surface. Small, deeper cracks on the upper panel, but this does not obscure the motifs. Motifs are very clear and the colors are very bright.