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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.

Page data

Page
2
Source index
0
Type
photo
Media ID
351ddffbddf3d6fe
Size
unknown

Document data

ID
30212
Core
obj
Type
object
DTO data
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    "id": "30212",
    "sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/62.5",
    "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)",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/62.5",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
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        }
    ],
    "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)"
}

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Document identity
{
    "localId": "30212",
    "label": "Coffin of Rehu-er-djer-sen",
    "core": "obj",
    "dtoType": "object",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/62.5"
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Document source metadata
{
    "id": "30212",
    "sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/62.5",
    "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)",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/62.5",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
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        "coffins"
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        {
            "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)"
}
Document 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 context
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    "mediaId": "351ddffbddf3d6fe"
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