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W870

W870

Cartonnage fragment showing a wind daemon.

 

A cartonnage fragment measuring 22.5 x15cm.

 

Cartonnage consists of linen, or occasionally papyrus, stiffened with plaster. It was used in Egypt to cover the deceased.

This fragment shows a wind deity, probably the god of the North wind, Qebhui. He is shown with 4 wings, as were other wind-daemons (possibly as several wings would have created a lot of wind). He has the body of a bird. The daemon stands in front of an offering table and carries the deceased on his tail.

The 4 wind daemons are sometimes shown at the four edges of Roman Period coffins (for example Riggs 2005 figs. 87 and 88).

The Centre has another cartonnage fragment which appears to show the god of the West wind (W945) but we believe the different fragments were from different coffins.

References and further reading

Kákosy, L. 1997. The Ptah-Shu-Tefnut triad and the gods of the winds on a Ptolemaic sarcophagus, in J. van Dijk, ed. Essays on ancient Egypt in honour of Herman te Velde, Groningen: STYX Publications, 219-229.

Kurte, D. Wind Lexikon der Ägyptologie VI 1266-1272.

Riggs, C. 2005. The Beautiful Burial in Roman Egypt. Art, Identity, and Funerary Religion, Oxford University Press.

de, Wit, C. 1957. Les Genies des Quatre Vents au temple d’ Opet CdE 32(63) 25-39.

Other cartonnage pieces in the Egypt Centre

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