Nedjemankh and His Gilded Coffin

The illustriously gilded coffin of Nedjemankh, a high-ranking priest of the ram-god Heryshef of Nen-nisut. The gold-sheathed surface of Nedjemankh’s mummiform coffin portrays scenes and texts that serve to protect the deceased as he ventures into the afterlife. A long, exclamatory inscription covers the lid: “O gold! O gold! O flesh of the god! O flesh of the god! O fine gold! O fine gold!”Nedjemankh and His Gilded Coffin continues through April 21, 2019 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan.

“Statuette depicting a worshiping baboon,” New Kingdom, Dynasty 19, reign of Ramesses II (ca. 1279–1213 BCE).