Museum Pieces - Coffin of Irthorru

Photocredit: National Museums Scotland

Coffin of Irthorru, son of Abzu and Tahir.

Museum reference: A.1910.97
Age: 2,600 years old/6th century BC
Dynasty/Period: Late Period, 26th or 27th Dynasty or later.
Dimensions: Length 178cm/Width 46.5 cm/Depth (lid) 24.5cm /Depth (trough) 17.5 cm
Material: Wood, plastered and painted.
Place of origin: Possibly Meir, Middle Egypt.

Head, torso and sides: The face is painted yellow, with white eyes and a black and a green-striped beard. The top of the head has a red-outlined winged scarab (beetle) pushing a red sun-disc that lies directly above the brow. The wings of the scarab reach down the wig on either side of the face and the upper row of feathers is red and the lower row is green.   

A painted collar begins at the upper-arm level and is painted in red and green on a cream ground. It has a dominant triangular pattern ending in a row of alternate yellow and red rosettes and then a row of drop-pendants in green and cream. The hands emerge from the collar and painted yellow.

The sides of the coffin base and lid are decorated with a large cobra with its hood painted in green, stretching down the whole side of the coffin to the feet. It is enclosed by white-bordered bands alternating green and red, with a white central dot, and separated by narrow white and red bars.

Underside of base of coffin: The wig on the base is a solid green and is decorated on the underside with a standing winged goddess, with a red sun-disc on her head and a feather in each hand.

The dominant decorative scheme is a red and green criss-cross motif on a white ground decorated by a central column of text, enclosed by red and green bands.

Source: http://www.nms.ac.uk/highlights/egyptian_coffins/irthorru.aspx

For more coffins and mummy masks: http://www.nms.ac.uk/highlights/egyptian_coffins.aspx