Egyptian, XXII dynasty
Mummy case of Paankhenamun
c. 945­715 B.C.
Cartonnage, gold leaf, and pigment
ht.: 170.2 cm
William M. Willner Fund, 1910.238

The Art Institute’s mummy case was the coffin of Paankhenamun, a noble Egyptian who died almost 3,000 years ago. Egyptian hieroglyphics, a system of picture writing, cover the case, and the colors are still fresh and bright. Look near the top for the sun-god Khepri in the form of a beetle, and near the bottom for the god Horus as a falcon, on either side of the sacred eyes.