Wood Sarcophagus Lid of the Divine Father Wennefer

Culture: Egyptian

Period: Late period, 26th dynasty, 664-525 B.C.

Material: Wood

Dimensions: 135 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 1406

Provenance: Belgian private collection, acquired from the Fris collection, Netherlands, in the 1980s.

Condition: Unrestored, with flaking and missing parts as seen on the picture. Overall, a highly decorative, intensively painted sarcophagus lid.

Description: Exceedingly decorative, as well as colorfully painted and inscribed sarcophagus lid dating to the 26th dynasty. The inscription mentions as the owner the divine father Wennefer, son of the divine father of Amun with the name Min-ir-dis, born by the lady of the house Djet-Mut. The face is painted red, eyes, brows and beard in black. At the face end a recess for the separately worked out false beard, which is missing today. The tripartite wig is striped, the ears protruding. The broad usekh collar ends at the shoulders with falcon heads. Below the figure of the winged sky goddess Nut, her name inscribed with hieroglyphs in the sun disk, which she carries on her head. On the left edge of the sarcophagus a ram painted in green with wavy horns, feather crown and a red sun disk. Below a scene with the goddess Maat and the god Thoth who accompany the deceased to the enthroned Osiris. Behind Osiris a procession of various gods and goddesses, in front of him offerings. Below numerous inscriptions frame in band and columns a central scene depicting the deceased on a stretcher with lion heads. Below two canopic jars, above a flying Ba illustrating chapter 89 of the Book of the Dead, where the soul (“Ba”) reunites with the body. On the outer sides depictions of the four Horus sons. In the lower area remains of greyish overpainting with inscriptions indicate that the sarcophagus was reused several times during ancient times. Mounted.