Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Painted Shroud Fragment

Ptolemaic or Roman Period
ca. 1st century BCE–1st century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134
As wife and sister of Osiris, Isis and Nephthys were twinned in funerary beliefs. These heads of the two goddesses, 66.99.140 and 66.99.141, come from a single linen shroud, which probably showed them raising their arms in a gesture of care and reverence on either side of the frontal, mummified image of Osiris. When wrapped about the mummy, the images on the shroud would have identified the deceased with Osiris and placed him or her under the protection of the goddesses.

Although they are no longer distinguished from one another by any sufficiently preserved attribute, the two goddesses would have originally worn their different symbols atop the modius on the head. One goddess is a deep green below the head, a color associated with rebirth/afterlife divinities but also more widely used by this time.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Painted Shroud Fragment
  • Period: Ptolemaic or Roman Period
  • Date: ca. 1st century BCE–1st century CE
  • Geography: From Egypt
  • Medium: Linen, gesso, paint
  • Dimensions: H. 36.8 cm (14 1/2 in); W. 31 cm (12 3/16 in.); Framed: H. 43.5 cm (17 1/8 in.); W. 36.5 cm (14 3/8 in.); D. 4.1 cm (1 5/8 in.)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Fletcher Fund and The Guide Foundation Inc. Gift, 1966
  • Object Number: 66.99.141
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Bowl with flutes f rom shoulder to rosette at base, silver
Bowl with flutes f rom shoulder to rosette at base
4th century BCE
Painted Shroud Fragment, Linen, gesso, paint
Painted Shroud Fragment
ca. 1st century BCE–1st century CE
Inlay of the Horus falcon on the hieroglyph for "gold", Faience
Inlay of the Horus falcon on the hieroglyph for "gold"
360–343 BCE
Box-form ornament with granulation, Gold
Box-form ornament with granulation
6th–4th century BCE
Fragment of a linen shroud painting, Linen, gesso
Fragment of a linen shroud painting
ca. 1st century BCE–2nd century CE or later

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.