This alabaster canopic chest is considered to be one of the finest masterpieces of Tutankhamun's collection.
The interior of the chest is divided into four compartments, each with a cylindrical hollow covered by a lid elegantly carved in the form of the king's head.
The lid was fixed to the chest with cords knotted to gold rings and bore the official seal of the royal necropolis. Within each compartment was a miniature gold mummiform coffin that held the king's embalmed internal organs.
At the four corners of the chest, carved in high relief, are four goddesses: Isis, Nephthys, Neith and Sereket, who stretch out their arms to protect the contents of the chest. |
