The Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt - Lid of a Canopic Jar

LID OF A CANOPIC JAR

LID OF A CANOPIC JAR

Identity: Tutankhamon, King
Material: Alabaster
Period: New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty
Reign: Tutankhamon

Dimensions:
Height: 24 cm
Width: 19 cm

This sculptured lid is a true reflection of the ancient Egyptian artist's ability to articulate his religious beliefs and ideas in an aesthetically pleasing manner. It is one of four portrait seals corresponding to the four spirits of Tutankhamon who protect the canopic jars that enclose his viscera, each resembling an element of his spirit. The four portraits wear the nemes headdress with the uraeus and vulture fixed upon the brow. The sculptor cleverly enhanced the face by outlining some of its features in black. The canopic jars were found in the treasury of the tomb.

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