Osiris Papyrus Sheath (RAFFMA Artifact)

3D Model

Title: Osiris-shaped Papyrus Container

Number: RAFFMA, EG.01.004.2006

Date: 21st Dynasty (circa 1069-945 BCE)

Material: wood covered with paint

Dimensions: 70 cm high (including base) / 63.6 cm high (statue only), 30 x cm long (base), 15 cm wide

Provenance: Ex-Collections Drexel, (1895); MIA (1916), and Harer (1975/76), gift in 2006.

This statue depicts the god Osiris, who was the most important Ancient Egyptian god of the dead. Wooden statues of Osiris like this one are defined as a type by their specific “black-varnish” decoration (Martin Raven’s Type II C). They have been found especially among the 21st Dynasty (1070-945 BCE) burials of the priests of Amun and their families in the region of Thebes. They are especially remarkable for their function as secret containers for scrolls of the Book of the Dead. This statue has an internal cavity large enough to hide a long and tall papyrus scroll, although the scroll is now lost.

https://www.csusb.edu/raffma/art/detail?objectId=1386137&size=0