Coffin and Cover of Princess Mayet
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Object Label
Princess Mayet, a wife of King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep, the founder of the Middle Kingdom and a great conqueror, died very young. As was typical in the Middle Kingdom, her coffin is rectangular with a flat cover. The cover has a single line of painted inscription, an offering formula, down the center. A similar formula appears on the sides of the coffin. A pair of magical eyes painted at the end on one long side allows the deceased to see when the priest makes offerings.
Caption
Coffin and Cover of Princess Mayet, ca. 2008–1957 B.C.E.. Wood (Mediterranean cypress - Cupressus sempervirens, Sycamore fig - ficus sycomorus, tamarisk - Tamarix sp.), pigment, 19 × 15 1/2 × 72 in. (48.3 × 39.4 × 182.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 52.127a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 52.127a-b_PS9.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Title
Coffin and Cover of Princess Mayet
Date
ca. 2008–1957 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 11
Period
Middle Kingdom
Geography
Place excavated: Thebes (Deir el-Bahri), Egypt
Medium
Wood (Mediterranean cypress - Cupressus sempervirens, Sycamore fig - ficus sycomorus, tamarisk - Tamarix sp.), pigment
Classification
Dimensions
19 × 15 1/2 × 72 in. (48.3 × 39.4 × 182.9 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
52.127a-b
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
Who is Princess Mayet?
Princess Mayet was the wife of King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep, the founder of the Middle Kingdom and a great conqueror. She died very young.
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