Rishi coffin of Puhorsenbu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Arabic word "rishi," meaning feathered, is used to describe a group of coffins made in the Theban area during Dynasty 17 and early Dynasty 18. This coffin is a particularly fine example of the type. Special care has been taken with the modeling of the face, which has been painted a delicate pink. The feather pattern has become an abstract design, as has the broad collar, whose strands of beads echo the contour of the vulture pendant making the bird's wings appear to extend up the mummy's shoulders. For other examples of rishi coffins see also 12.181.299–12.181.301; 30.3.4–30.3.6.

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