Harvard Art Museums > 1920.44.299.A-B: Canopic Jar of Pafhernetjer with Lid in Shape of a Baboon Head Vessels Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Canopic Jar of Pafhernetjer with Lid in Shape of a Baboon Head , 1920.44.299.A-B,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, May 18, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/292578. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1920.44.299.A-B Title Canopic Jar of Pafhernetjer with Lid in Shape of a Baboon Head Classification Vessels Work Type vessel Date mid 7th-late 6th century BCE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Africa, Egypt (Ancient) Period Late Period, Dynasty 26 Culture Egyptian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/292578 Physical Descriptions Medium Alabaster Technique Carved Dimensions Vessel (A): H. 22 × Diam. of base 9.3 cm (8 11/16 × 3 9/16 in.) Lid (B): H. 8 × Diam. 10.5 cm (3 1/8 × 4 1/8 in.) Inscriptions and Marks inscription: center, incised and painted in black, ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs: Words spoken by [the goddess] Nepthys: ‘I hide what is secret; I provide protection for Hapy, who is in me. The protection of the Osiris Pafhernetjer, born of Hetepbastet, is Hapy.’ Provenance Recorded Ownership History Miss Elizabeth Gaskell Norton, Boston, MA and Miss Margaret Norton, Cambridge, MA (by 1920), gift; to the Fogg Museum, 1920. Note: The Misses Norton were daughters of Charles Elliot Norton (1827-1908). Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Misses Norton Accession Year 1920 Object Number 1920.44.299.A-B Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This jar has a lid in the shape of a baboon’s head. The hieroglyphic inscription, incised in four neat columns and painted black, refers to the god Hapy. Given that Hapy is both baboon-headed and protector of the lungs of the deceased, the lid and the inscription together indicate that this vessel once contained the lungs of the deceased individual, Pafhernetjer, who is also mentioned in the inscription. The inscription is as follows: "Words spoken by [the goddess] Nepthys: ‘I hide what is secret; I provide protection for Hapy, who is in me. The protection of the Osiris Pafhernetjer, born of Hetepbastet, is Hapy.’" Commentary Many Egyptian burials included canopic jars, which held the mummified organs of the deceased person. The jars were made in sets of four, to contain four specific parts of the body: the stomach, intestines, liver, and lungs. The lids of these jars were often made in the shapes of the heads of four gods known as the Four Sons of Horus, each of whom protected one of the organs. The human-headed god Imsety protects the liver; the jackal-headed god Duamutef protects the stomach; the baboon-headed god Hapy protects the lungs; and the falcon-headed god Qebehsenuef protects the intestines. A second canopic jar from the set for Pafhernetjer is in the collection of the Legion of Honor, part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (accession number 20298.4a-b). Related Works 2003.100.40 Lid for a canopic jar in the shape of a human head Sculpture Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
