Inner Coffin of Djedmutesankh
The priestess Djedmutesankh was buried with a number of other members of her wealthy extended family in a tomb on the West Bank at Thebes. Her exalted position is reflected by her titles, which include "First Great Chief of the Khener (Musical Troupe) of Amun." This indicates that she was most likely a wife or daughter of a High Priest of Amun.
Echoing the decoration of her outer coffin, Djedmutesankh's inner coffin was painted with religious symbols and rows of funerary deities. On the lid, below a floral collar that covers her chest and upper abdomen, the decoration is composed primarily of winged goddesses and falcons. The sides of the base are divided into vignettes that include: goddesses worshipping Hathor as a cow; adorations of the "Great God," Horus, and Osiris; and the deceased helping to tow the solar barque. The interior of the base is dominated by a large figure of the goddess of the west.
The iconographic repertoire seen here is repeated on the mummyboard that was placed inside, directly over her wrapped mummy. There are differences in the images chosen and in the details, for example, of her wigs, but the three elements of this set worked together to guarantee Djedmutesankh's successful transition from death to eternal life as an effective spirit.
Djedmutesankh's burial was plundered in antiquity by thieves who removed the gilded parts of her coffins: the faces, earrings, breasts, and hands. On this inner coffin, they left most of the gilded fillet around her head, which was impressed with a floral design.
Echoing the decoration of her outer coffin, Djedmutesankh's inner coffin was painted with religious symbols and rows of funerary deities. On the lid, below a floral collar that covers her chest and upper abdomen, the decoration is composed primarily of winged goddesses and falcons. The sides of the base are divided into vignettes that include: goddesses worshipping Hathor as a cow; adorations of the "Great God," Horus, and Osiris; and the deceased helping to tow the solar barque. The interior of the base is dominated by a large figure of the goddess of the west.
The iconographic repertoire seen here is repeated on the mummyboard that was placed inside, directly over her wrapped mummy. There are differences in the images chosen and in the details, for example, of her wigs, but the three elements of this set worked together to guarantee Djedmutesankh's successful transition from death to eternal life as an effective spirit.
Djedmutesankh's burial was plundered in antiquity by thieves who removed the gilded parts of her coffins: the faces, earrings, breasts, and hands. On this inner coffin, they left most of the gilded fillet around her head, which was impressed with a floral design.
Artwork Details
- Title: Inner Coffin of Djedmutesankh
- Period: Third Intermediate Period
- Dynasty: Dynasty 21
- Date: ca. 1000–945 B.C.
- Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, Tomb MMA 60, Chamber, Burial of Djedmutesankh (Ch5), MMA excavations, 1923–24
- Medium: Wood, paste, paint
- Dimensions: L. 186 cm (73 1/3 in)
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1925
- Object Number: 25.3.2a, b
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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ca. 1000–945 B.C.
ca. 1000–945 B.C.
ca. 924–889 B.C.
ca. 990–970 B.C.
332–250 B.C.
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