17/10/2021
Detail from the lid of a miniature anthropoid coffin (39 centimeters in height) that was one of four contained in King Tutankhamun's canopic chest. They are made of gold inlaid with carnelian and colored glass. Each one is unique in its decoration and inscription. In all of them, however, the king appears in the Osiride form, with his fists on his chest, holding the heka crook, symbol of power, and the nekhekh flail, symbol of authority. He wears the nemes royal headdress. On his forehead, we see the protective goddesses Wadjet (in the form of a cobra) and Nekhbet (in the form of a vulture), symbols of Lower and Upper Egypt, respectively. The king wears also a divine beard as well as a beautiful broad collar.
Each of the four coffinettes contained a mummified internal organ (the stomach, intestines, lungs or liver) that was removed from the body of Tutankhamun during the embalming process.
This coffinette (JE 60688) is now in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo, Egypt. It will eventually be permanently displayed with the rest of the king's treasures in the new Grand Egyptian Museum when it opens its doors to visitors.
Photo: Sandro Vannini
