<em>Coffin and Mummy Board of Pasebakhaemipet</em>, ca. 1075–945 B.C.E. Wood, pigment, 12 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 76 3/8 in. (32 x 55 x 194 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.2a-c. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 08.480.2a-c_inner_detail_SL1.jpg)

Coffin and Mummy Board of Pasebakhaemipet, ca. 1075–945 B.C.E. Wood, pigment, 12 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 76 3/8 in. (32 x 55 x 194 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.2a-c. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 08.480.2a-c_inner_detail_SL1.jpg)

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What is he holding in his hands?

Pasebakhaemipet is holding an ankh and a djed-pillar, which appear frequently throughout Ancient Egyptian art, especially funerary art. The ankh means life and the djed-pillar means stability. The inscription indicates that Pasebakhaemipet was the mayor of Thebes, which was an extremely elite position.

I would like some more information about this.

This coffin and mummy board provides an excellent glimpse into Egyptian funerary equipment. Coffins would generally be purchased or altered for a specific person to take them into the afterlife. The scenes on the outside of the coffin often pertain to the journey into the afterlife and figures of protection. The deceased's name is often inscribed somewhere, as the name is an important aspect as well.

How much would something like this cost?

The prices would vary based on how elaborate you want your coffin to be. Some known examples cost people a year's worth of their salary.

Wood that would be used for coffins was not easily found in Egypt and often had to be imported. Wealthy citizens could, of course, afford much fancier coffins and tomb equipment.

What is this for?

This coffin and mummy board provides an excellent glimpse into Egyptian funerary equipment. Coffins would generally be tailored to a specific person to take them into the afterlife. The scenes on the outside of the coffin often pertain to the journey into the afterlife and figures of protection. The deceased's name is often inscribed somewhere, as the written name is the most important identifier.

The coffin's ownder, Pasebakhaemipet, has arms which are crossed over his chest in a typical fashion. In his left hand he holds an ankh, the symbol for life, and a djed pillar, a symbol of enduring strength. Both eternal life and endurance were essential to the rebirth process. Even more specifically, the origin of the djed sign is the spine of the god Osiris, the king of the afterlife.

Why isn't anyone in there?

Not all coffins and other funerary containers still have their mummies inside them. Sometimes the body could have deteriorated or been separated from the coffin by past collectors. We don't always know what happened to them. We know to whom they belonged based on the inscriptions written on the surface.

Where are the mummies that are not on display stored?

The museum has several mummies in the collection and, as you may have noticed, only a few are on view. The mummies that are not on view are housed in our storage sites. To be placed on view in the gallery, a mummy has to be fully wrapped and have artistic merit. Otherwise, the museum declines to exhibit them as a way of respecting the individuals.

Whoa, so much going on here.

There are so many details! This coffin and mummy board are a great example of Egyptian funerary equipment and the journey of a deceased individual through the land of the dead.

The scenes on the outside of the coffin depict the deceased's journey through the afterlife including his final judgment: the weighing of the heart against the feather of truth.

The mummy board, and interior, depict the deceased as a living presence in the next world. This elaborate coffin is in the most expensive style, suggesting that this person had high status in Egyptian society, in fact, he held a position like mayor of Thebes, the most important city in ancient Egypt during his time.

Why are the faces so different? Is it not the face of the person inside?

They are in fact meant to depict the same person, but they are shown in different wearing different headdresses. In the outer coffin he is also shown wearing a beard.

This beard with a curved end was meant to channel the likeness of Osiris, the king of the afterlife. This represented his wish to join Osiris in the afterlife.

Wondering if the glossy coating was ancient or added later?

That glossy coating is original!

Thanks! Do we know what it’s made of?

Beeswax was often added over the top of paints to preserve them, accounting for the glossy coating.

What type of wood is used to make coffins?

The ancient Egyptians used a few different kinds: cedar, cypress, acacia, and others.

Cartonnage, however, is not made of wood. It is mixture of plaster and linen similar, conceptually, to papier mâché

Thanks again!

Are these three pieces part of the same coffin?

The top and bottom portions are the coffin. The bottom held the mummy while the top was the lid. The element in the center is what's called a mummy board. It rested on top of the wrapped mummy inside the coffin.

The outside of the coffin depicts the deceased's, a man named Pasebakhaemipet, journey to the afterlife. The mummy board (which would not have been visible from the outside of the closed coffin, shows him as a living presence arrived in the next world.

What is the significance of the beard? Were there beards in the afterlife?

This particular shape of beard is a reference to Osiris, Egyptian king of the afterlife. In their death, people became associated with the god Osiris -- deified in a sense -- and visually, the beard was a way to communicate this.

OK, thanks.

I'm amazed to see that they even painted the inside of the coffins!

Yes! It certainly helps remind me that this artwork wasn't really meant to be looked at by living people and rather that its symbolism and hopeful communication with the gods and the afterlife were much more important. It didn't matter that you could see an image or a text, simply that it existed.

Thank you so much for teaching me about this.

Tell me more.

That's a great photo! According to the inscriptions, this coffin belonged to a man named Pasebakhaemipet who held a mayor-like position in the important ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. The position gave him a great deal of power.

The decorations on his, and most coffins, serve to identify, protect, and transform the deceased for their journey to the afterlife. Did you notice the curve in his beard? That little detail aligns him with the god Osiris, the king of the afterlife.

Thank you very much.

Coffin and Mummy Board of Pasebakhaemipet

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

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

Magical decoration ensuring the deceased’s wishes was at first put on tomb walls, but in Dynasty 21, the most elaborate decoration began to appear primarily on coffins.

The lid of this coffin shows Osiris, the god of the dead, depicted multiple times; Nut, the sky goddess; and, on the interior, the goddess of the afterlife—three deities who together create a miniature universe for the mummy to inhabit. The outsides of the box depict the deceased’s journey to the afterlife, including the final judgment by weighing his heart against the feather of truth, while the mummy board shows him as a living presence arrived in the next world.

Carbon-14 dating conducted in 2009 indicates that Pasebakhaienipet, who was the mayor of Thebes, died between 1110 and 939 B.C.E., a date supported by the Twenty-first Dynasty style of his coffin. His elaborate coffin and mummification in the most expensive style suggest his high status in Egyptian society.

MEDIUM Wood, pigment

Place Collected: Thebes (Deir el-Bahri), Egypt

DATES ca. 1075–945 B.C.E.

DYNASTY Dynasty 21

PERIOD Third Intermediate Period

DIMENSIONS 12 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 76 3/8 in. (32 x 55 x 194 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 08.480.2a-c

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

PROVENANCE Deir el-Bahri, Thebes, Egypt; by 1893, unearthed by Emile Brugsch; 1894, purchased from Emile Brugsch by Armand de Potter of Belgium and New York, NY; 1905, inherited from Armand de Potter by Amy Beckwith (Mrs. Aimee S. de Potter) of New York, NY and Asheville, NC; March 1908, purchased from Amy Beckwith by the Brooklyn Museum.

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EXHIBITIONS

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

CAPTION Coffin and Mummy Board of Pasebakhaemipet, ca. 1075–945 B.C.E. Wood, pigment, 12 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 76 3/8 in. (32 x 55 x 194 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.2a-c. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 08.480.2a-c_inner_detail_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE detail, inner lid, 08.480.2a-c_inner_detail_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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