Coffin of Horankh
Egyptian, Late Period, 712–332 B.C.
Wood, gesso, paint, obsidian, calcite, and bronze
76 3/4 in. (194.945 cm)
Cecil and Ida Green Acquisition Fund, 1994.184

In the Egyptian cult of the dead, the survival of the dead person’s body was critically important because it was believed that after death, people lived physically in the afterworld as they did in this one. While fashions in coffins and portraits of the dead person changed throughout Egyptian history, the idea of bodily survival remained constant. This Late Period coffin identifies the dead man, Horankh, with Osiris, lord of the afterworld. Osiris is shown as a royal mummy: his green face signifies the growth of plants and new life in spring. The aesthetic emphasis is placed on life and undying vitality rather than on death. The figure’s brilliant calcite and obsidian eyes shine with glittering force. The forms of the body are clearly and powerfully delineated under the representation of linen mummy wrappings. The colors on the molded gesso (linen impregnated with plaster) have survived in excellent condition, which adds to the dramatic effect. In style the coffin re-creates the pure, powerful forms of Egyptian Middle Kingdom art. This archaizing taste is typical of the Nubian and Saite rulers of Egypt, who wished to restore the glories of Egypt’s past. The inscription on the base includes a prayer to Osiris and the name of the dead man.