Inner Coffin of Itamun, inscribed for Nesiamun

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The coffin set of the General's Charioteer, Itamun (an outer coffin (26.3.1a, b), this inner coffin, and a mummy board (26.3.3)) was found in a reused tomb in a valley south of Deir el-Bahari. Itamun's outer coffin was not completely closed, as this coffin, made originally for a priest and copper engraver of the temple named Nesiamun, was slightly too large. The layout and decoration of the lid is similar to that of the outer coffin, with the deceased in a tripartite wig with floral fillet, elegant features and large ears, and hands fisted over the chest. A winged figure of Nut again divides the upper and lower parts of the lid. In this case, the space above contains a djed pillar flanked by deities in human form; the lower part is divided by bands of inscription into 10 symmetrical sections containing illustrations from Egyptian mythology. Additional illustrations adorn the sides of the box. In contrast to the outer container, this coffin has been varnished.

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