Mirror of the Chief of the Southern Tens Reniseneb

Mirror of the Chief of the Southern Tens Reniseneb

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This mirror, its handle in the form of a papyrus plant, is inscribed with the name of Reniseneb who had a judicial title translated as "Great One of the Southern Tens." Reniseneb's coffin was discovered in 1910 during excavations by Howard Carter and his patron, Lord Carnarvon. It was at the bottom of the shaft of a pit tomb (CC25). Although the two chambers off this shaft had been robbed, the coffin and mummy of Reniseneb were untouched by thieves. Unfortunately, dampness had caused severe damage to both. This mirror was found in the wrappings over the chest of the mummy. A necklace (26.7.1349) and a shen amulet (26.7.1347) were found at the neck, and a small hippopotamus figurine (26.7.898) was found in the wrappings at the small of the mummy's back. The mirror is currently displayed in the upper tray of a cosmetic box found in the same pit tomb (26.7.1438).

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mirror of the Chief of the Southern Tens RenisenebMirror of the Chief of the Southern Tens RenisenebMirror of the Chief of the Southern Tens RenisenebMirror of the Chief of the Southern Tens RenisenebMirror of the Chief of the Southern Tens Reniseneb

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.