Egyptian Cartonnage Panel - Lotuses and Chalices

Egypt, Late Dynastic period, ca. 712 to 332 BCE. A beautiful, brightly painted cartonnage - a plastered layer formed into a panel to line the inside of a sarcophagus or used as mummy decoration. These painted strips are made of gesso (a mixture of chalk, pigment, and gypsum) over wide linen strips. Using a plastered surface like this formed a more stable surface for painting. This example features deep red, ocher yellow, creamy white, and shades of blue, forming registers of symbols such as chalices and lotus flowers, all designed to symbolically protect the dead. Size: 2.95" W x 9.3" H (7.5 cm x 23.6 cm)

Provenance: private J.H. collection, Beaverton, Oregon, USA, acquired in June 2011; ex-private Turkish collection

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#149734
Condition Report: This is a fragment of a larger panel, with some small losses at the peripheries, notably at one end, some small stains, deposits, and encrustations. The pigment is in nice condition and the motifs well preserved.