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Ramesside Mummy Board

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Funerary Gallery 1, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
Mummy boards are flat, full-length, wood coverings placed directly on the mummy inside the coffin. On these boards, artists depicted the deceased wearing everyday dress. An inscription, now lost, would have identified this man. In his left hand he holds a handkerchief and an ankh-sign, indicating high rank.
MEDIUM Wood, gesso, pigment
  • Reportedly From: Saqqara, Egypt
  • DATES ca. 1295-1185 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 19
    PERIOD New Kingdom, Ramesside Period
    DIMENSIONS 73 x 19 3/4 x 5 3/8 in. (185.4 x 50.2 x 13.7 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 37.1520E
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not yet documented, reportedly from Saqqara, Egypt; by 1852, collected in Egypt by Henry Abbott; 1859, purchased by the New-York Historical Society, New York, NY; 1937, loaned from the New-York Historical Society to the Brooklyn Museum; September 1948, purchased from the New-York Historical Society by the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Wooden coffin lid, made of several pieces of wood pieced together, depicting a man wearing a layered kilt, shirt, and elaborate heavy wig. Left hand holds a folded cloth and ankh sign, right hand is flat on the kilt. Remnants of painted decoration - collar and bracelets. Wood, gessoed and painted.
    CAPTION Ramesside Mummy Board, ca. 1295-1185 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, 73 x 19 3/4 x 5 3/8 in. (185.4 x 50.2 x 13.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1520E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.1520E_PS9.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 37.1520E_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2016
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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