Mummy-Wrapping

Date2700 BC-395 AD

MediumLinen

DimensionsObject/Work: 130 x 260 mm

ClassificationsReligious/Ritual Equipment

Terms

Object numberC00500

DescriptionLinen mummy wrapping. Painted with a winged scarab representing the god Khepri and the goddess Nepthys. Both of these images had important meanings for the decoration of funerary items; Khepri was a symbol of rebirth in the afterlife, and Nepthys is a protector of the mummy. There are 12 columns of hieroglyphs divided with red lines. Linen like this would have acted like a shroud and been placed over the top of the mummy.
This piece is associated with Henry Salt, the British consul general to Cairo from 1815 and an early collector of Egyptian artefacts. Salt sold his collections to several museums, particularly the British Museum.

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