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Source Description
This mummy case is made of cartonnage, a material similar to papier-mâché, but using layers of linen rather than paper. Cartonnage mummy cases such as these are contemporary with funerary portraits painted on wood or linen, although they present a very different appearance. The face, modeled in plaster, is bland and idealized, although the effect of the gilding and glass inlays is quite dazzling. The body is painted with traditional, age-old funerary motifs: the god Osiris, seated and mummiform; the fetish of Abydos, holy city of Osiris, flanked by standing deities (Thoth and Shu); a Horus falcon with outspread wings, and the bark of Sokar. Below these are the sandaled feet of the deceased. On the sides are rows of seated deities. On the top of the head are a winged scarab beetle flanked by Anubis jackals. On the foot are painted the soles of the deceased’s sandals, flanked by scorpions for protection.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
94191
label
Cartonnage Mummy Case
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
94191
contentType
object
title
Cartonnage Mummy Case
description
This mummy case is made of cartonnage, a material similar to papier-mâché, but using layers of linen rather than paper. Cartonnage mummy cases such as these are contemporary with funerary portraits painted on wood or linen, although they present a very different appearance. The face, modeled in plaster, is bland and idealized, although the effect of the gilding and glass inlays is quite dazzling. The body is painted with traditional, age-old funerary motifs: the god Osiris, seated and mummiform; the fetish of Abydos, holy city of Osiris, flanked by standing deities (Thoth and Shu); a Horus falcon with outspread wings, and the bark of Sokar. Below these are the sandaled feet of the deceased. On the sides are rows of seated deities. On the top of the head are a winged scarab beetle flanked by Anubis jackals. On the foot are painted the soles of the deceased’s sandals, flanked by scorpions for protection.
date
c. 50 BCE–50 CE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60756044
genreSpecific
Funerary Equipment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 20.5 x 57 cm (8 1/16 x 22 7/16 in.)
cul
Egypt, Greco-Roman period (332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE)–Roman empire (30 BCE–395 CE)
accession
1914.715
Source extras
tec
cartonnage, painted and gilded, with glass inlays
tombstone
Cartonnage Mummy Case , c. 50 BCE–50 CE. Egypt, Greco-Roman period (332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE)–Roman empire (30 BCE–395 CE). Cartonnage, painted and gilded, with glass inlays; overall: 20.5 x 57 cm (8 1/16 x 22 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust, 1914.715
collection
Egypt - Ptolemaic Dynasty
formerAccessionNumbers
354.14
didYouKnow
This coffin is smaller and later in date than the other coffins in this gallery. It is made of cartonnage, which used layers of linen to create a material similar to papier-mâché. The painted portrait head displays the influence of Roman portraiture at this time and incorporates both gilding and glass inlays. Despite the fragile materials, this mummy case survived due to the very dry desert climate in which it was found.
citations
citation
Grimm, Günter. <em>Die Römischen Mumienmasken aus Ägypten.</em> Wiesbaden: F. Steiner, 1974.
page_number
Mentioned: P. 100, 116; Reproduced: Taf. 115.1
citation
Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač.<em> Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999
page_number
Reproduced: p. 503-5; Mentioned: p. 504-5
citation
Riggs, Christina. <em>The Beautiful Burial in Roman Egypt: Art, Identity, and Funerary Religion</em>. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 49-52, fig. 13, 14, 15
creditline
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:00:50.252000
sourceId
94191
dept
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
coll
Egypt - Ptolemaic Dynasty
med
cartonnage, painted and gilded, with glass inlays
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
dd716fe0ef62c189