Lot 8
8
AN EGYPTIAN POLYCHROME PAINTED WOOD COFFIN PANEL
AN EGYPTIAN POLYCHROME PAINTED WOOD COFFIN PANEL

THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, 22ND DYNASTY, CIRCA 945-718 B.C.

Details
AN EGYPTIAN POLYCHROME PAINTED WOOD COFFIN PANEL
THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, 22ND DYNASTY, CIRCA 945-718 B.C.
Depicting a funerary scene showing, from left to right, Thoth ('the lord of Truth'), Osiris ('the lord of Justification') and Waset ('the lady of the West'), the god of the underworld represented with green skin, standing mummiform, wearing an atef-crown and a beard, and holding a crook and flail, Waset standing behind with her hand on his shoulder, an ankh-cross in her right hand, wearing a modius, a broad collar and a close-fitting dress, Thoth wearing a tripartite wig, a false beard, a broad collar and a kilt with a strap across his chest, holding a writing palette in his hand, two water offerings on a pedestal surmounted by lotus flowers between, and an Imiut fetish, two vertical inscriptions framing the scene, reading '(right column) Recitation by Thoth, Lord of the Divine Word, the Scribe of Maat (Truth) for the Ennead, (left column) the Osiris Akhupuy who is in his [tomb?...]', the arches of the mountains of the West above
20 in. (51 cm.) wide
Provenance
Private collection, Hamburg, acquired prior to 1977; and thence by descent to the present owner.
Exhibited
Hamburg, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Kunst der Antike: Schätze aus norddeutschem Privatbesitz, 21 January-6 March 1977.

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Francesca Hickin
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Lot Essay

PUBLISHED:
W. Hornbostel, Kunst der Antike - Schätze aus norddeutschem Privatbesitz, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, Mainz, 1977, cat. no. 443.

The Imiut fetish is a symbol documented since the First Dynasty. It is composed of a stuffed, headless animal skin, either a feline or a cow, tied by the tail to a pole, and terminating in a lotus bud. Although its origin or purpose is unknown, it is present in ancient Egyptian funerary rites and is associated to Anubis in later periods.

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