Mummy Cartonnage with Goose Herder

Culture: Egyptian

Period: Ptolemaic period, 332-30 B.C.

Material: Linen, Gypsum

Dimensions: 12 cm x 32 cm

Price: Sold

Ref: 1461

Provenance: French private collection, acquired in the late 1970s to early 1980s from the gallery G. Maspero in Paris.

Condition: Unrestored. Fragment of beautiful quality with strong colors.

Description: Rare and very charming depiction of a goose herder on a linen mummy cartonnage. The youthful shepherd with short, black hair wears a white, belted tunic and holds a long shepherd stick in his right hand. He has a large bag tied around his right shoulder. Five geese are marching in a row in front of him. Their heads are raised and their eyes wide open. Their necks are with black stripes. Striking is that the geese are all the same size as their shepherd, which should underline their special importance. Geese were not only the most popular sacrificial animals, but they were also respected as animals with huge parental love. Hence the glyph of the goose often stands for the word son. The scene is framed on top by a pink and at the bottom by a yellow bar. In the right image area horns with sun disk. Mounted.