Coffin of Ahmose
Unknown Artist
ca. 1550–1458 B.C.
Medium
Sycomore wood, stucco, paint
Dimensions
L. 229 cm (90 3/16 in); h. 60 cm (23 5/8 in)
Classification
Coffin, Ahmose, anthropoid
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of the Earl of Carnarvon, 1914
Accession Number
14.10.2a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into ancient Egypt with the *Coffin of Ahmose*, a striking artifact from the New Kingdom's early Dynasty 18, to around 1550–1458 B.C. Crafted an individual named Ahmose—possibly evoking the founder of this dynasty, Ahmose I, who liberated Egypt from Hyksos rule—this coffin reflects the era's resurgence of pharaonic power and elaborate afterlife beliefs. Measuring nearly 7.5 feet long, it was designed to encase the, ensuring the deceased's safe journey to eternity amid Thebes' thriving temples and tombs. Fashioned from sycomore fig wood, a durable native timber, the coffin was coated in s...