Djed-Khonsu-iu-ef-ankh’s cartonnage

3rd intermediate period, 22nd dynasty
Glued, plastered, and painted fabric
H.: 1.70 m; W.: 40 cm; D.: 33 cm
Department of Egyptian Antiquities, Musée du Louvre
(N 2621)

This cartonnage belonged to a priest of the god Amun at Karnak, called Djed-Khonsu-iu-ef-ankh : “May [the god] Khonsu say: he shall live!” A cartonnage was the first protective layer enclosing a mummy, which would then be placed in one or several wooden coffins. The face f the deceased was painted with divine attributes, such as skin of gold (an imperishable material) and dark hair imitating lapis lazuli. A large necklace completes the finery, framed by the wings of the falcon-headed scarab representing the god Khepri. The other scenes are divided into three vertical registers. Below the winged scarab, one register shows the god Osiris followed by his two sisters, Isis and Nephthys, facing the god Horus, who is leading the deceased toward his father. Behind them is the goddess of the necropolis. Two lower registers include the two main emblems of Osiris, the “Abydos reliquary” and the djed pillar, flanked by the two sisters endowed with protective wings and offering life-giving breath. All these scenes were designed to be viewed by a beholder facing the mummy, except for two: the winged sun that crowns the skull, and the sun-god Re setting sail, placed on the feet and facing the deceased, probably so that the deceased could more easily take part in the voyage.

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