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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
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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

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