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Funerary Shroud Fragment

A work made of linen, plain weave; painted; warp fringe.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of linen, plain weave; painted; warp fringe.

Date:

Ptolemaic Period (332-30 BCE)

Artist:

Egypt

About this artwork

For thousands of years ancient Egyptians used linen for clothing and other purposes. Such textiles included mummy wrappings and funerary shrouds, like this fragmentary example, that were essential to preserving the body after death. The images of gods, goddesses, and other sacred symbols painted onto this shroud magically protected its owner, ensuring their access to a corporeal form in the afterlife.

Along the sides, alternating panels depict deities with their hands raised in worship and gods carrying long folded strips of cloth to be used in the mummification process. The decoration at the center of the shroud replicates the form of the mummified body that once lay below, with the contours of the legs (covered in a beaded net) still preserved on this fragment.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Culture

Ancient Egyptian

Title

Funerary Shroud Fragment

Place

Egypt (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 332 BCE–30 BCE

Medium

Linen, plain weave; painted; warp fringe

Dimensions

105.5 × 59.9 cm (41 1/2 × 23 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

W. Moses Willner Fund

Reference Number

1910.256

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/64378/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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