Fragment of a Mummy Shroud

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This fragment comes from a linen shroud for a mummified individual. The complete, painted shroud bore a head-to-toe, life-size image of a woman in colorful garments. The fragment here shows the stripes on her sleeve and the patterned strap running down her breast. The figure, whose curly black hair hangs over her shoulder, represents both the deceased and the goddess Hathor. To the left of her shoulder, the pillar-like djed hieroglyph evokes stability, while the partial figure of a knife-wielding guardian below depicts one of the protective figures the dead might encounter in the underworld.

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