"Opening of the Mouth" vessel of Perneb

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

An essential rite performed during the funeral ceremonies was the "Opening of the Mouth." Thought to have evoked the rituals carried out at the birth of a child, this served to restore the senses of the newly deceased (resident in spirit within the mummified body or a statue), so that he or she could once again breathe, speak, eat, drink, see, and hear. This vessel is part of a set used for this ceremony. It would have held milk, or salt or fresh water (see also 14.7.30; 14.7.93; and 14.7.94). For a complete set of implements for this ritual, see 07.228.117a-h.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art