Tutankhaman and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs

Coffinette for the Viscera of Tutankhamun

“Words spoken by Isis, I embrace with my two arms that which is therein, in order to protect Imsety, who is within, Imsety, the Osiris, king Nebkheprure, true voice before the great god.”
-Inscription on front of coffinette

This small coffinette is almost an exact copy of the larger coffin that held King Tutankhamun’s mummy. He is shown as the god Osiris and holds the crook and flail, symbols of kingship. Precious materials including beaten gold, inlaid stone, and colored glass embellish the outside of the coffin and show the skill of the craftsman. The inside lid is decorated with symbols of protection, such as an image of the goddess Isis and spells from the Book of the Dead.

This coffinette, along with three others, was placed in King Tutankhamun’s canopic jars. Each coffinette opened horizontally and held a different wrapped viscera bundle, or embalmed organ, of King Tutankhamun. Hieroglyphs on the front of the lid tell us that this held the liver. While the face on this coffinette is similar to Tutankhamun’s, subtle facial differences indicate that this may have been made for another king or queen.

Coffinette for the Viscera of Tutankhamun
Gold, carnelian, obsidian, rock crystal, glass
Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun (1332–1323 B.C.)
Thebes, Valley of the Kings, tomb of Tutankhamun (no. 62)