Object name: Fragment of openwork decoration
Accession no.: E.GA.2898.1943
Other numbers and markings: tbd
Dimensions: H 25.5 cm
W 7.7 cm
D 1 cm
Brief description:
Figure of the god Osiris most probably from an open worked mummy board. It is made from a single piece of wood, the tangential face on the back. The wood is slightly curved to sit on top of a mummy.
Osiris is shown standing in profile with an atef crown on his head and a heqa sceptre and flail in his hands. In front of him is an upright lotus flower. The body is covered in a feathered pattern. The figure is outlined in red, while the face, broad collar and feathers of the atef crown are green. The general background colour is yellow. There is a brush fibre embedded in the paint on the front proper left side of the head.
All sides of the figure are wrapped in an adhesive soaked tabby woven linen with ‘s’ twisted fibres. In places there is more than one layer of linen. The fabric was coated with a fine white preparation layer prior to painting. This material is also under the fabric in certain places.
There are dovetail pins at the top and bottom of the figure. These are likely to have been used to attach the figure to a larger piece of openwork. The decorative scheme appears to have continued across the front of the upper pin and the back of the lower pin. The textile and preparation layer have been cut in a straight line along the edge of the pin, but on the back of the upper pin a white paste continues onto the pin.
Date: Late Period
700-30 BC
Find spot: tbd
Acquisition: Given by R.G. Gayer-Anderson, 1943
Construction, decoration and materials:
Other information
Fragment of openwork decoration (front)
Fragment of openwork decoration (reverse)
