Niagara Falls Museum Coffin NFM C2

Provenance: Unknown, probably Thebes
Date: Mid to late XXIst Dynasty, circa 990-960 bce.
Material: Wood, with gesso and paint, varnish
Dimensions: 72" long x 20" wide

This very attractive Twenty-first Dynasty coffin was made for the Lady of the House, Chantress of Amun, Tahat.

The lid corresponds to Niwinski's Type IId.(see Cairo 29667 for a very similar coffin.) The face is delicate and lovely; the long hair is decorated with coloured bands. Raised gesso was used in decorating the lid to imitate more costly inlay.

The outside of the coffin box is decorated with images of the deceased making offerings to the Underworld Deities, and scenes from mythology and the Books of the Dead. The barque of Re is shown on both sides of the coffin, once drawn by two gods, with Hathor and Isis in the boat.

The image of Nut spreading her wings across the midsection is particularly well done. The artist was very good at drawing dogs, so that Anubis is alert and lively each time he appears.

A mummy board is present, but difficult to examine under current conditions of display.

The floor of the coffin is not visible at present due to the presence of human remains, but seems to be damaged. White plaster repair is visible on the sides and bottom of the box. The name of the original inhabitant of the coffin has not yet been identified.

Both coffin lid and box contain scenes of a graceful Tahat, in long, flowing gowns, offering to Osiris. The hieroglyphs are clear and legible.On the outside of the box, a steady and skilful hand has painted images from mythology and popular religion, including the Hathor cow emerging from the Western Mountain above a pyramidiform tomb.

The Tree Goddess in a pretty, spreading shrub, the Weighing of the Heart, and Geb and Nut separated by Shu. An image of Nephthys, kneeling and with wings outstretched, curves around the head. Paint is missing in small patches which have been covered with white plaster.

The interior of the box is cherry red. At the head a female figure, who might be Isis or Nut, stretches long arms around the head of the deceased. A greenish snake writhes just beyond her reach.

The decoration of the interior appears only to extend to the shoulders. The floor of the coffin is at present inaccessible due to the presence of human remains.

The body in this coffin,NFM Mummy M7, is that of a young woman, probably of Greco-Roman times. The exposed face is in poor condition, with the skull visible in several places through the brownish skin; the teeth are fairly worn. The left hand, graceful and yellow in colour, extends through the bandages. The wrappings appear to be original, but are much disturbed.

The body is now about 1.46 m in length, but rough handling post-mortem dislocated the head of the femur, and other damage was done as well, so that Dr. Pahl suggested that in life the woman might have been between 1.5 and l.60 m in height.