Coffin Texts from the Tomb of Harhotep
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Object Label
Egyptians believed that placing certain funerary texts close to the body could help the spirit of the deceased continue his or her existence in the afterlife. Originally these texts were used exclusively in the pyramids of kings and queens, but in the Middle Kingdom they were adapted for use in the tombs of non-royal individuals. Inscribed primarily on coffin interiors, they became known as Coffin Texts. While Coffin Texts occur mostly on wooden coffins, here they are found on a limestone wall.
Caption
Coffin Texts from the Tomb of Harhotep, ca. 2008–1630 B.C.E.. Limestone, pigment, 39 x 3 7/8 x 20 3/4 in. (99.1 x 9.9 x 52.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1507E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.1507E_NegA_acetate_SL1.jpg)
Title
Coffin Texts from the Tomb of Harhotep
Date
ca. 2008–1630 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 11
Period
Middle Kingdom
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Limestone, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
39 x 3 7/8 x 20 3/4 in. (99.1 x 9.9 x 52.7 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.1507E
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Are these from tombs?
These works come from two different tombs from Egypt's Middle Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom was a very important time in ancient Egyptian art, as it represents a high point for artistic production, and it was the first time Egypt was reunified, a strong narrative point.The lower reliefs, showing two servants, come from the Tomb of Queen Neferu, the wife of Mentuhotep II who reunified Egypt and founded the Middle Kingdom. These reliefs would have served an important role in the tomb, as they represented offerings one would give to the deceased.Are these hieroglyphs?
Similar! This is Hieratic, a cursive form of hieroglyphs. This text comes from the wall of the tomb of a man named Harhotep. Like most of the texts found in ancient Egyptian tombs this was designed to help him on his journey to the afterlife.I'm particularly interested the relationship between ancient Egyptian art and Egyptomania in the 19th century, do you have some information?
Most of our Egyptian collection came to the United States in the 19th century, so it was part of that flush of early archaeological activity and the resulting fashion of Egyptomania. While hieroglyphs were part of the trends seen in Egypt-fascination of the time, many were focused on flashier examples related to the afterlife (which we have on view in the Mummy Chamber, for example).Is there any American Art showing Egyptian symbols?We have several examples of Egyptomania in the decorative arts on view on the 4th floor, from English and American designers. We have some American paintings that feature Orientalist material, but that's more focused on the modern-day region than antiquity. (Well, modern-day to the late 19th century artists like Chase.)Many artists and designers who were working in Egypt-inspired styles in the 19th century took motifs and popular aspects of the ancient material known at the time and turned them into a more "revival" style without deep knowledge of their meaning.Ah, I see, so it was entirely an aestheticist movement?Yes, in fact 19th century Egyptomania was part of a broader movement known as Aestheticism. This movement, largely in the USA and England, incorporated decorative imagery from "exotic" cultures such as Egypt, India and Japan.Part of the interest in Egypt was driven by Napoleon III in France, who was emulating the Egyptian fashions that had prevailed under Napoleon I. This was almost entirely separate from scholarly activity surrounding the collecting and deciphering of Ancient Egyptian works.What is this language called? Did they usually write top to bottom?
This is a cursive form of hieroglyphs called hieratic used to write the ancient Egyptian language. While they can be written in any direction, depending on space constraints and stylistic convention, they are usually written right to left.Thank you.
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