Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Funerary Figure of Imseti

Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
ca. 400–30 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 133
This human-headed figure represents the god Imseti, who protected the liver. He is one of the four so-called sons of Horus that are often depicted as mummies, each with a different head (for the other three statuettes belonging to the same set, see 12.182.37a, c-d). The sons of Horus were deities who protected the internal organs and are probably best known from their representations on the lids of the canopic jars that contained mummified viscera. They were also thought to assist in the process of mummification and to provide nourishment, possibly because they were associated with the internal organs. Thus they had a general protective function for the deceased.

Imseti is wearing a broad collar with falcon head terminals, and a small heart amulet is depicted at the center of his chest. In addition a pectoral (a large pendant that is usually placed on the chest) is suspended from his neck, but depicted lower than usual, in the area above his knees. It features the depiction of a sun disk on a bark and is thus connected to the hope that the deceased would be reborn with the sun every morning.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Funerary Figure of Imseti
  • Period: Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
  • Date: ca. 400–30 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt; Said to be from Middle Egypt, Tuna el-Gebel
  • Medium: Plastered and painted wood
  • Dimensions: H. 40.6 cm (16 in.); W. 9.7 cm (3 13/16 in.); D. 25.7 cm (10 1/8 in.)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1912
  • Object Number: 12.182.37b
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Funerary Figure of Duamutef, Plastered and painted wood
Funerary Figure of Duamutef
ca. 400–30 BCE
Nkisi (power figure), Kongo artist and nganga (ritual specialist), Wood, pigment, resin, iron, brass, tin, cloth, plant fiber cord, beads, cowrie shells, bone or ivory, arrows, leather, seeds, animal horn, Kongo peoples
Nkisi (power figure)
Kongo artist and nganga (ritual specialist)
19th–first half of 20th century
Mummy Mask of a Woman, Cartonnage, plaster, paint, plant fibers
Mummy Mask of a Woman
60–70 CE
Jar with registers of plant ornament and animals, Faience
Jar with registers of plant ornament and animals
100–30 BCE
Nkishi (community power figure), Songye artist and nganga (ritual specialist), Wood, copper, brass, iron, fiber, snakeskin, leather, fur, feathers, mud, resin, Songye peoples
Nkishi (community power figure)
Songye artist and nganga (ritual specialist)
19th–first half of 20th century

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.