Lot 1A
Egypt, New Kingdom to Late Period, ca. 1300-700 BCE. Ink on linen. A remarkably well-preserved funerary band inscribed in flowing hieratic script, excerpted from the Book of the Dead, the ancient Egyptian collection of funerary texts intended to guide and protect the deceased in the afterlife. Measuring over three feet in length, the strip contains a continuous run of inked text in black pigment, penned with precision and ritual intent. The linen likely formed part of a funerary shroud or was wrapped directly around a mummy, a less common but historically documented practice reserved for individuals of elevated status. Size: 41.5" L x 2.25" H (105.4 cm x 5.7 cm)
The content of this text, while not fully translated, likely derives from well-known chapters of the Book of the Dead such as Spell 6 (for causing a man to work in the realm of the dead), Spell 30B (O my heart which I had from my mother), or Spell 125 (The Judgment of the Dead), invoking divine protection, purification, and safe passage through the underworld. These spells commonly appeal to gods such as Osiris, Ra, or Anubis, and were intended to equip the soul with the speech and moral standing needed to overcome the trials of the Duat.
While papyrus scrolls were more frequently used, inscribed linen was employed in high-status or temple-affiliated burials, imbuing the material itself with ritual power. The survival of such a long and clearly legible example is exceedingly rare.
Provenance: ex-private collection of Joe Linzalone, New Jersey, collected in the 1980s
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#195398
- Condition: Fragmentary, as shown. Framed in a finely carved giltwood frame and mounted with conservation-grade materials.
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