Shrines,Coffins & Boxes Museum scale replicas

The three coffins of Tutankhamun rank among the finest and most impressive of all finds from his spectacular tomb. The three coffins were skillfully made to be just the right size to be nested within one another, thus offering Tutankhamun layers of protection, both physical and magical. The king’s depiction is clearly identifying him with Osiris, the king of the underworld. In death, the ancient Egyptians were identified with Osiris so they too could live on in the afterlife, just as he had.

The three coffins of Tutankhamun rank among the finest and most impressive of all finds from his spectacular tomb. The three coffins were skillfully made to be just the right size to be nested within one another, thus offering Tutankhamun layers of protection, both physical and magical. The king’s depiction is clearly identifying him with Osiris, the king of the underworld. In death, the ancient Egyptians were identified with Osiris so they too could live on in the afterlife, just as he had.

The three coffins of Tutankhamun rank among the finest and most impressive of all finds from his spectacular tomb. The three coffins were skillfully made to be just the right size to be nested within one another, thus offering Tutankhamun layers of protection, both physical and magical. The king’s depiction is clearly identifying him with Osiris, the king of the underworld. In death, the ancient Egyptians were identified with Osiris so they too could live on in the afterlife, just as he had.

Discovered in 1939 by French archaeologist Pierre Montet in Tanis, in the north-eastern Delta, King Psusennes I’s tomb showed that Egypt’s craftsmen, metalsmiths, and jewelers were still at the peak of their crafts despite his rule during a troubled time in Egypt’s history. During the 21st Dynasty, at the beginning of the Third Intermediate Period, Egypt was divided, but despite this some of these kings clearly still had great wealth at their disposal.

Anthropoid coffins were designed in human form to represent the deceased in an idealized manner. Decorated with sacred texts, protective deities, and symbolic motifs, these coffins served as magical containers for the body. They ensured protection and aided the priest’s rebirth and eternal life in the afterlife according to ancient Egyptian funerary beliefs.

The Gilded Miniature Coffin found in the Treasury of Tutankhamun's tomb (KV62) is a remarkable anthropoid (human-shaped) container made of gilded wood. This small sarcophagus was part of a nested set of four coffins, designed like "Russian Dolls," with each smaller layer inscribed with the name of Queen Tiye, the Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep III and Tutankhamun's grandmother. Inside the innermost coffin sat a small wooden box containing a plaited lock of reddish-brown hair, which was scientifically confirmed belonging to Queen Tiye.

These nested sets—each consisting of a black-resined outer coffin and a gold-leafed inner coffin—contained the mummified remains of two daughters of king Tutankhamun. These caskets depicted the infants as mummified figures wearing blue and gold striped wigs and broad collars with falcon-headed terminals. The arms were crossed over the chest with fisted hands, while a gilded vulture with spread wings protected the abdomen. Inside each outer shell sat a second, smaller coffin entirely encased in gold foil. Interestingly, the inscriptions on both sets lacked personal names, referring to each occupant only as "The Osiris".

The gilded fetus coffins are two pairs of nested smaller anthropoid (human-shaped) inner coffins. these second coffins are entirely encased in gold foil. The lids depict the infants as wrapped mummies wearing blue and gold striped wigs. They feature broad collars with falcon-headed terminals and a gilded vulture with outspread wings protecting the abdomen. The figures' arms are crossed over their chests with fisted hands.

The interior of the canopic chest of Tutankhamun was divided into four compartments, each containing a miniature coffin that held one of the king’s mummified internal organs wrapped in bandages. These coffinettes were decorated with inscriptions inside and with feather motifs and royal titles on the exterior. Each coffin represents the king in the form of Osiris, lord of the dead, holding the crook and flail—symbols of royal authority and eternal kingship.

The canopic chest of Tutankhamun is one of the finest masterpieces of ancient Egyptian craftsmanship. Its interior is divided into four cylindrical compartments, each of which contained a miniature gold coffinette holding the pharaoh’s embalmed viscera. Each compartment was sealed with a beautiful lid in the form of a bust of the young king. Carved in delicate raised relief, Isis, Nephthys, Neith, and Serqet, stand in the corners, arms outstretched in protection.

The canopic chest of Tutankhamun is one of the finest masterpieces of ancient Egyptian craftsmanship. Its interior is divided into four cylindrical compartments, each of which contained a miniature gold coffinette holding the pharaoh’s embalmed viscera. Each compartment was sealed with a beautiful lid in the form of a bust of the young king. Carved in delicate raised relief, Isis, Nephthys, Neith, and Serqet, stand in the corners, arms outstretched in protection.

The canopic box of Yuya and Thuya was designed to house the canopic jars that contained the embalmed internal organs of the deceased. Carefully decorated with protective deities and sacred symbols, the box served as an important element of the burial equipment. It ensured the preservation and divine protection of the organs, which were essential for the deceased’s rebirth in the afterlife.

This statuette depicts king Tutankhamun upon his funerary bed. The king is shown mummified in the Osiride royal form, with his hands crossed over his chest. Tutankhamun is lying on a splendidly decorated funerary bed decorated with two lion’s heads. The bed is engraved with funerary formula and prayer to accompany the king upon his spiritual journey, and acknowledgement that the piece had been made in dedication by Maya, Tutankhamun’s scribe and official, who commissioned this piece as a funerary tribute to the late king.

This gorgeous artifact, wonderfully replicated here by Konouz, speaks to the ancient Egyptians’ sense of aesthetics and artistic skill. Although in agreement on this artifact’s funerary purpose, Egyptologists differ on its precise use. It may have been used to contain the mummy of a sacred falcon. Alternatively, the Four Sons of Horus, the guardians of the four organs canonically removed during mummification, are depicted on the shrine’s sides, suggesting that it was instead for the mummified organs.