1920.44.299.A-B: Canopic Jar of Pafhernetjer with Lid in Shape of a Baboon Head
Vessels
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
-
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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 Objects
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