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Coffin: E.1.2004

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Current Location: In storage

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Description

Head end of a yellow anthropoid coffin box roughly fashioned from five pieces of cedar and sycomore fig and joined with sycomore fig dowels. A thick layer of coarse brown paste mixed with chopped vegetable fibres was used to build up the sides and fill insect damage and other deficiencies in the wood. A thin white calcite and calcium sulphate paste was applied over this.

Depicted on the inside of the coffin fragment is a ba-spirit flying up from the body (the same representation can be found on the inner coffin of Nespawershefyt, E.1.1822). It is rendered in red, blue (Egyptian blue) and green (severely darkened) paint on a yellow background, with black and red decorative outlines. A pistacia resin varnish has been selectively applied to the surface. The outside is covered with an original (but not fully identified) black coating, making it difficult to see the decoration. Nevertheless, red outlining is visible and VIL images show that there is an intricate design worked in Egyptian blue, including a black border, vertical bands of hieroglyphs and at least one figure.

Measurements and weight

Height: 27 cm
Width: 32 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (2003) by Peers, Anne, Mrs, with her brother and sister

Dating

Third Intermediate period
Circa -0955 BCE - -0735 BCE

School or Style

Egyptian

Materials used in production

Wood

Techniques used in production

Carved : Painted

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: E.1.2004
Primary reference Number: 98444

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 28 November 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Antiquities

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Coffin" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/98444 Accessed: 2025-12-05 11:03:21

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/98444 |title=Coffin |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 11:03:21|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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