mummie ; vrouw

Unknown artist

Diptah ; masker ; cartonnage Mummy of an adult, very heavy and hard and displaying well-defined anatomical details (e.g. the calves). The bandages are partly covered by a plain shroud of faded linen, perhaps originally red in colour in view of traces under the foot cover. This is now very fragmentary and only partially preserved on the front of the mummy and around the head and feet. The linen is a medium-fine warp-faced tabby weave (about 24 x 15 threads/cm2). The wrappings under the shroud are applied in close concentric windings with a considerable overlap and an exposed part of no more than 2-4 cm wide. They show black stains, especially along the sides of the mummy, closest to the remains of the shroud. On top of the shroud lie several elements made of cartonnage (stucco and linen), much damaged and badly restored with patches of modern textile and various kinds of adhesive tape. These comprise the following items, painted in red, blue, green, yellow, and black on white: - mask: face and ears gilt, lips red, eyes and brows black and white, no beard. Tripartite wig blue with a white border and horizontal straps on the front lappets (white, red, blue, and black). The horizontal ranges of a necklace are visible between the front lappets: from top to bottom rosettes, lotus petals, tabs with dots, rosettes, lotus petals, tabs with dots, rosettes, and finally drops. The crown of the head has been decorated with a painted hypocephalus (black on white). Its inscribed border reads: Oh, Osiris, foremost of the West … Sokar-Osiris, great god who resides in Shetyt (?), Isis the great, mother of the god, Nephthys, sister of the god, Amset, Hapy, Duamutef, Qebehsenuef, Anubis, lord of the sacred land. Within this border there is a composition in four divisions based on the standard type: two-headed god flanked by two columns of inscriptions (corrupt), falcon in bark left (tekst: lord of heaven), scarab in bark right (tekst: lord of earth); second division much damaged, presumably comprising central four-headed god adored by two (?) baboons, with three lines of tekst on each side (illegible); two barks; Nehebka and Min, Sons of Horus, cow. According to Varga, this standard type grew out of fashion from the reign of Ptolemy II onwards; - torso cover: semicircular collar with tapering extension over the abdomen. Five sections from top to bottom, separated by block friezes: ba, facing right with wings spread out and claws holding disks, flanked by the two falcon-headed clasps of the collar proper; collar with eleven semicircular ranges of rosettes, petals, tabs with dots, roundels, and finally drops; kneeling goddess, facing right, with hands holding feathers and extended wings, a disk on the head, and flanked by wedjat eyes; mummy on bier, flanked by the Sons of Horus, with six vases below; five squatting demons with knives, alternately human- and serpent-headed. The last three sections are flanked by side-strips showing the four Sons of Horus, all human-headed; - leg cover: slightly tapering panel with four successive sections, separated by block friezes. From top to bottom: Anubis with the mummy, wings above, flanked by two mummiform figures, five vases below; tyet flanked by four squatting demons holding feathers (one human-headed, three serpent-headed); basket motive with mosaic pattern; eleven ranges of triangular petals, alternately openwork and closed; - foot cover: top with block frieze, triglyph frieze; two red feet, outlines and sandal straps white. Block frieze around the sides, soles red with black outlines.