Coffin of Senbi
Unknown Artist
c. 1918–1859 BCE
Medium
gessoed and painted cedar
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.7,"width":0.55,"length":2.13}}
Classification
Funerary Equipment
Department
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
Accession Number
1914.716.a
About this artwork
The most common type of coffin during the Middle Kingdom took the shape of a rectangular box with lid. The mummy inside was placed on his left side, facing east, his head behind the two magical eyes. These—in the shape of human eyes, to which have been added the markings of a falcon's head—were supposed to enable him to behold the rising sun, reborn daily. The long horizontal inscriptions are prayers to Anubis (god of embalming) and Osiris (god of the dead) for offerings of food and drink and ot...