Egyptian. <em>Inner Cartonnage of Gautseshenu</em>, ca. 700–650 B.C.E. Linen, plaster, pigment, human remains, 65 1/4 x 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (165.7 x 41.9 x 29.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 34.1223. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 34.1223_front_PS4.jpg)

Egyptian. Inner Cartonnage of Gautseshenu, ca. 700–650 B.C.E. Linen, plaster, pigment, human remains, 65 1/4 x 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (165.7 x 41.9 x 29.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 34.1223. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 34.1223_front_PS4.jpg)

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I'm going to be volunteering here soon and I need to learn more about the collections. How many mummies are here? Is the mummy still in Nespanetjerenpere's container?

Their are four mummies on view. "Mummy and Cartonnage of Hor," "Anthropoid Coffin of Thothirdes," "Inner Cartonnage of Gautsesheni," and "Cartonnage and Mummy." Nespanetjerenpere's cartonnage is empty, the mummy has been lost.

Hor and Gautsesheni are inside of their cartonnages so you can't actually see the mummies themselves, but those two are in there. You can see Thothirdes and one more unnamed mummy. Those would be the two the kids are really after!

I know this is a woman. How often were women mummified compared to men?

Generally, royalty, the nobility or the very wealthy could afford lavish and highly decorative funerary rites. It didn't depend on gender, but rather on how wealthy a person was.

Do you know who this man is and why he would be on a coffin?

This man is the god Osiris, king of the afterlife, which is why it looks like he is wrapped up like a mummy. On this cartonnage, he is shown presiding over the ceremony in which Gautseshenu's heart is weighed against a feather symbolizing truth, justice, and cosmic balance. Her heart would have be light than the feather in order to gain access to eternal life. The scene is prominently featured on the Inner Cartonnage of Gautseshenu in the hope that she would pass the test.

Who is this and why aren't there any protective spells on the coffin?

This is actually a inner cartonnage which would itself have been placed inside a large coffin. Also, the numerous deities and scenes you see depicted on this cartonnage serve a very similar protective function as the texts would.

Why is his face so small?

This cartonnage actually belongs to a woman named Gautseshenu! Generally speaking women tend to have smaller faces and facial features even much more so in Egyptian art. Other than a few small differences in the way men and women were depicted, burial practices were the same for all genders!

It says that the Cartonnage of Gautseshenu had not been opened at the time it was scanned in 2011. Is that still true?

Yes! The Cartonnage of Gautseshenu has not been opened and may never be. Unlike a coffin that has a base and a lid, this cartonnage is plastered linen that was formed around the mummy and is now a single piece. Scholars today generally do not open this type of cartonnage or unwrap mummies out of respect and to avoid any potential damage.

Where is Gautseshenu?

She traveled to Korea to be part of an exhibition there! She will be back in our gallery soon.

What does this eye represent?

You may see this same eye symbol come up a lot! It's called a wedjat or the Eye of Horus. It was a symbol of protection especially of health. The sun was also considered one of Horus's eyes and the sun was a big part of the Egyptian worldview.

When you see very large wedjat eyes on coffins they can also be seen as allowing the deceased to see out.

How were the mummies from the mummy chamber acquired?

The mummy of Demetrios was excavated by the famous archaeologist W. M. Flinders Petrie in 1911 and given to the Brooklyn Museum by his funders. At the time, archaeologists were allowed to remove a portion of their finds from Egypt to go to their home institutions.

The Cartonnage and Mummy, sometimes referred to as the Anonymous Man, was excavated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1928-29 under the same law and was in their collection until we acquired him from them in the 1952.

The mummy of Gautseshenu was purchased in Egypt in 1934.

Did they ever seal the sarcophagus to keep the colors so bright?

The ancient Egyptians often did use beeswax to seal in the pigment on coffins like this. Also the Egyptian climate and the dark of the tomb significantly contributed to the preservation of the colors.

Why is this coffin so well preserved?

This cartonnage, like many artifacts from ancient Egypt, are preserved because of the steadily dry climate in Egypt and because they were buried in dark tombs. It's the same reason there is some much papyrus preserved from Egypt as well.

Yes! It’s so much more vibrant than the other cartonnages. Is there a reason why this one is that much “better”?

It may be a matter of the care the object has received since excavation. This mummy has been in our collection since 1934 and has been well cared for since!

Dang! That’s cool. Thanks!

Tell me more.

This is one of the containers that actually contains a mummy. The cartonnage has never been opened, but CT scans (there is a photo of one on her label) have allowed scholars to peer inside.

Her cartonnage is especially finely decorated suggesting she was a wealthy woman. In fact, the inscriptions that list her lineage suggest she was a member of one of the most powerful families (including priests and viziers) of her day.

Who is inside?

This cartonnage belongs to a woman named Gautseshenu! She came from a prominent family in Thebes which is reflected in the superior quality of her cartonnage and its decoration.

If you look at the right side of the scene just below her collars, it shows Anubis weighing Gautseshenu's heart against the Feather of Truth before Osiris, a visual representation of Chapter 125 of the Book of the Dead.

Are there any real mummies/bodies here?

There are! There are four mummies currently on view and they are all in the Mummy Chamber section at one end of the Egyptian galleries on the third floor.

The mummies of Thothirdes and an anonymous man are laying down in cases, and the decorated cartonnages of Gautseshenu and Hor also contain their mummies.

This sign indicates that they used to not be displayed, why is that? Were there ethical considerations?

The museum certainly does make ethical considerations when displaying human remains, you may have noticed that this space is quite dark and contemplative. Some mummies are always kept in storage for conservation reasons. This sign refers to a previous approach to the installation of the Egyptian galleries, I believe before 2003. There was a period when many mummies in many institutions were removed from the galleries in an effort to be more respectful. More recently, we, and other institutions, have begun to return them to the galleries in new and (hopefully) more ethical contexts.

Ahhh understood, thanks.

How did the Brooklyn museum acquire these mummies?

Three of the mummies in the gallery, Thothirdes, Hor, and Gautseshenu, we acquired from the New York Historical Society with their entire collection of ancient Egyptian art.

The anonymous man we acquired from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who sponsored the excavation that found the mummy in 1929.

Thanks again for all the great answers today.

Why are the mummies so small? Where people shorter in ancient Egypt?

There are a few factors. People were indeed a little bit shorter in ancient Egypt, in mummies, this is compounded by the fact the the body is completely dried out making is shrink as well.

Gautseshenu, here, is unusually short for an ancient Egyptian adult. Before examining her CT scans more closely, scholars actually thought she was a child.

Would you know which cranial bone was cracked to drain the brain during the mummification process?

I am not an expert in anatomy, so I do not know the scientific name of the particular bone, but I can tell you that the brain was removed through the nose by means of a hook that was inserted into the nostril and used to break into the brain cavity.

Thank you.

And would you be able to tell me more about natron?

Natron is a naturally occurring mineral very common in the geology of Egypt that is made up of multiple sodium-based compounds. The longest, and scientifically most important, part of the ancient Egyptian mummification process was to pack the body in this salt-like substance in order to draw out all moisture. The modern word, natron, comes from Wadi Natrun where the ancient Egyptians mined the mineral. The chemical symbol for sodium, Na, also has the same root.

Inner Cartonnage of Gautseshenu

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Funerary Gallery 2, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

This cartonnage provides a Who’s Who of Egyptian gods, both funerary and non-funerary. They include Osiris, lord of the afterlife; Anubis, the jackal-headed god, conducting the dead to the next world; and the Four Sons of Horus, who protected specific mummified organs of the body. Among the sky gods are Khepri, the winged beetle; Sokar, in his boat; and the hawk-headed form of Horus with outstretched wings. Thoth, the god of intellectual activity, takes the form of an ibis bird.

This mummy’s name, Gautseshenu, means “bouquet of lotuses.” The Egyptian word seshen (“lotus”) is the origin of the name Susan.

CULTURE Egyptian

MEDIUM Linen, plaster, pigment, human remains

Place Made: Thebes, Egypt

DATES ca. 700–650 B.C.E.

DYNASTY Dynasty 25 to Dynasty 26

PERIOD Third Intermediate Period to Late Period

DIMENSIONS 65 1/4 x 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (165.7 x 41.9 x 29.2 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 34.1223

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not yet documented, reportedly from Thebes, Egypt; by 1934, acquired by Mahmoud Mohassib Bey of Luxor, Egypt; 1934, purchased in Luxor from Mahmoud Mohassib Bey by Jean Capart for the Brooklyn Museum.

Provenance FAQ

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Funerary Gallery 2, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Egyptian. Inner Cartonnage of Gautseshenu, ca. 700–650 B.C.E. Linen, plaster, pigment, human remains, 65 1/4 x 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (165.7 x 41.9 x 29.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 34.1223. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 34.1223_front_PS4.jpg)

IMAGE front, 34.1223_front_PS4.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2011

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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