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Source Description

This coffin, made for a man named Rehu-er-djer-sen, is an early form of burial container. The exterior was left largely unpainted, perhaps because it was made from expensive, imported cedar wood. The interior is painted with brightly colored objects and offerings considered essential to a wealthy burial. "Coffin Texts," common to coffins of the early Middle Kingdom, were written on the wood to help the owner gain access to the afterlife. The texts are a series of magical spells intended to safeguard the body and spirit of the deceased and ensure resurrection. Deities were also depicted from the myth of Osiris that guaranteed protection. In the afterlife, the individual was to travel the heavens with the sun-god Re. Hieroglyphic inscriptions on the exterior of the coffin include a prayer to Osiris for funerary offerings. Along the floor of the coffin flows the Nile of the underworld. Rehu-er-djer-sen would have lain on his side so he might see the world through the eyes painted on the outside of the coffin.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
30212
label
Coffin of Rehu-er-djer-sen
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
13
Source metadata
id
30212
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Coffin of Rehu-er-djer-sen
description
This coffin, made for a man named Rehu-er-djer-sen, is an early form of burial container. The exterior was left largely unpainted, perhaps because it was made from expensive, imported cedar wood. The interior is painted with brightly colored objects and offerings considered essential to a wealthy burial. "Coffin Texts," common to coffins of the early Middle Kingdom, were written on the wood to help the owner gain access to the afterlife. The texts are a series of magical spells intended to safeguard the body and spirit of the deceased and ensure resurrection. Deities were also depicted from the myth of Osiris that guaranteed protection. In the afterlife, the individual was to travel the heavens with the sun-god Re. Hieroglyphic inscriptions on the exterior of the coffin include a prayer to Osiris for funerary offerings. Along the floor of the coffin flows the Nile of the underworld. Rehu-er-djer-sen would have lain on his side so he might see the world through the eyes painted on the outside of the coffin.
provenance
Lady Meux, London [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; William Randolf Hearst, California [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Joseph Brummer, New York and Paris, 1940, by purchase [Brummer inv. no. N4666]; Brummer Estate Sale, New York, 1949, pt. II, no. 70; Walters Art Museum, 1949, by purchase.
date
ca. 2000-1950 BCE (Middle Kingdom)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Wood
coffins
imageCount
13
pageCount
13
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
50.5
height
215
depth
51.4
dimensionsRaw
19 7/8 x 84 5/8 x 20 1/4 in. (50.5 x 215 x 51.4 cm);cover: 3 x 20 1/8 x 85 1/16 in. (7.62 x 51.1 x 216 cm)
Source extras
cul
Egyptian
inscriptions
The inscriptions contain offering formulas
spells of the coffin texts
and names the owner Rehu-er-djer-sen.
dynasty
early 12th Dynasty
med
wood with polychrome
creator_ids
6182
collection_ids
EGY
exhibition_ids
2507
Page inventory
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