Ancient Egpytian Statue - Large Anubis coffin with mummy inside

Egyptian Museum, Cairo Dynasty XVIII, 1347-1337 B.C.

The mummy of King Tutankhamun was found in a gold coffin placed inside two larger wooden coffins richly gilded and ornamented with semi-precious stones and glass. The three coffins were placed in a rectangular quartzite sarcophagus with a red granite lid. This reproduction represents the middle coffin. This King Tut coffin is constructed of wood overlaid with thick gold foil. The coffin is shaped as a mummiform Osiris figure, arms crossed on the chest holding the sacred insignias, the crook and the flail. The royal symbols, uraeus and vulture, are attached to the striped nemes headdress and under the chin the divine beard is inlaid with blue glass imitating lapis lazuli. The breast is covered with a wide collar richly adorned with precious stones. On the wrists, wide bracelets are inlaid with jewels. The two protective goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nekhbet the vulture and Wadjet the Cobra with a bird’s body, embrace the King’s torso. The entire surface of the body was decorated in rishi – or feathered – pattern. The feathers are each inlaid with jasper-red, lapis-blue and turquoise glass.