The Egyptians are known to believe in resurrection and hope after someone dies. They cherish the mummies of the powerful people from the different times in Egyptian history. One such a powerful figure was Pedi- Osiris; priest of Osiris and the Lord of the Underworld. He was the God of the dead and is associated with the phenomenon of resurrection and afterlife. An artist created a coffin, which has since been known as the 'coffin of Pedi- Osiris. The coffin has significant value to the Egyptian people and to artists the world over. The coffin is a piece of art that is made the object of research and discussion in many art forums. The form and content of the coffin is very detailed, and it coincides with the historical data provided of the time it was made.
Discussion
Form, Content and Historical Data
The coffin of Pedi- Osiris is over 7 ft in length, and it is broad in proportion. The size of the coffin shows that the mummy inside it was preserved in thick and elaborate layers of linen cloth (Wolgamott, pp. 01).
Artist
The artist of the coffin is not known, but most people believe that the creator was male. The artist was an Egyptian of the 26th Dynasty. The coffin was created in the Ptolemaic period, 305-30 B.C. The purpose of the artists of ancient Egypt was not to create works of art. They had to create the scenes that are related to life after death. This presentation of the scenes ensures that there will be successful rebirth. This belief of resurrection was deeply embedded in the ancient Egyptians of the time this coffin was created. The ancient Egyptian artists had the duty of adhering to the visual iconography that was universally understood in association with the desire for life after death.
Location
The coffin of Pedi- Osiris is presently displayed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, United States of America. The Museum keeps the coffin in a very clean condition, with extra care to not cause harm to it. The coffin was purchased by the Museum of Fine Arts with funds from Alice Pratt Brown Fund (MFAH, pp. 01).
Appearance
The appearance of the coffin is clean, but quite worn out. Pedi-Osiris has been painted with a gold face that is adorned by a fake beard, which is a symbol of high rank. The black- lined eyes give the coffin an exotic look. The artist has painted a wig on the blue of the lapis lazuli. There are a number of necklaces that line the upper body of the coffin. The Pedi- Osiris is painted with red clothing that is covered with a net of painted beads. The coffin has numerous gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt painted on it.
The work of the coffin is typical of others from the time, like the Painted Wooden Coffin of the Sacred Ibis of Thoth, Egyptian, Ptolemaic Period, 305-30 B.C (Refer to Figure 1.2). The coffin is made of wood with polychrome decoration. There are paintings of gods and goddesses on the coffin of the Ibis. The coffin is colorful; similar to that of the coffin of Pedi-Osiris. The Sacred Ibis has significant value to the ancient Egyptians, because it belonged to Thoth, the God of Writing and Knowledge. The coffin has many facets, and each is different from the other. There are various gods and symbolic objects painted on the coffin.
Analysis
Form and Content
The coffin has been painted with vibrant colors, and the shape is bilaterally symmetrical. It has been shaped like the Pedi- Osiris, but the addition of the beard is only to symbolize a high rank. The beard is a common feature of most of the coffins of important figures of the time. The lines are accurate, like the accuracy of the eyes and eyebrows. There are numerous geometric shapes that are painted across the upper half of the coffin. The bottom of the coffin has Egyptian scripts written in columns, which is a common feature of many coffins. The columns are outlined in black ink to make them stand apart.
The belief of the Egyptian religion is found to say that the paintings of the gods and goddesses on the coffin symbolize the protection they provide to the deceased. They act as amulets and help in promoting rebirth into the next life (Andrews, pp. 09). There is a baboon painted on each shoulder, and the baboon is raising its paws, screaming for the rise of the sun. The baboon symbolizes eternal life. The center of the coffin includes a painting of Nut, who was the Goddess of the Sky. Nut is kneeling, and her wings are extended over a temple's wall on which there is an inscription of hieroglyphs. Above her painting, there is a winged scarab called Khepri, who is pushing the morning sun to rise in the East. The scarab beetle is believed to move in the same pattern like the sun. Its dung ball moves across the ground. Above the Khepri's wingtips are human- headed Imseti (liver) and baboon- headed Hapi (lungs). Above the wingtips of Nut are jackal- headed Dua-mut-ef (stomach) and falcon- headed Qebeh-senu-ef (intestines). These soft organs are removed from the body of the deceased and are protected by keeping them in jars.
There are other deities, the Four Sons of Horus, which adorn the coffin. Horus was the Falcon God, and the symbolic value of the Four Sons of Horus is that they protect the internal organs of the deceased. The deities are painted in rectangular panels with red, blue and turquoise borders. The base of the coffin has paintings of two jackals that represent Anubis, the God of Embalming. Anubis symbolizes the glorification and preservation of the dead. The body of Pedi-Osiris is painted at the back panel of the coffin, where it is lying on a magnificent funeral bed shaped like a lion.
The coffin is created in a very orderly manner, and is all the objects and paintings are created in symmetry. The surface Pedi- Osiris's robe has been organized and sub divided into pictorial panels with the use of numerous geometric shapes and patterns. The different deities have been painted in detail and have consistent characteristics. Each of the deity is sitting or standing on a line. The artist who created the coffin has used a combination of all three of the standard viewpoints that are used in Egyptian art; profile, frontal and aerial. An example of the frontal pose can be seen with the painting of Pedi- Osiris that is made in the same static way that is used for royal statuary that suggests the cessation of time. The deities on his robe are painted in the profile viewpoint. The profile pose is when the torso and eye are shown frontally, and the head and lower body are shown in profile. The painting of the scarab beetle is depicted in an aerial viewpoint.
Ancient Egyptians were of the belief that life after death exists and the body of the deceased should be preserved and protected for rebirth. If the body was not preserved and protected, the transition to afterlife would not be possible. Thus, they introduced the process of mummification. The process preserves the body of the deceased. First of all, the body is dried in mineral salt and then washed in water retrieved from the Nile River. Furthermore, the brain tissue is removed through the nostril, and the heart is left in the body. However, the other soft organs are removed by making incisions in the abdomen. These organs are placed in jars, similar to those painted on the coffin of Pedi- Osiris. After the internal body is cleaned out, the external body is covered in oils and then wrapped with linen strips. The wrapping is done in an elaborate manner, with thick layers, after which the body is placed in a coffin for protection (Joseph, pp. 22).
Following the process of mummification, the people would inscribe the instructions for the journey through the underworld to the afterlife on the coffin. This was done for the protection and assistance of the deceased in his or her journey.
Most of the Egyptian coffins are characterized by a large size and rich colors with which they are painted. There are hieroglyphs of deities and detailed scenes with burial rituals painted on the coffins. The dominant colors on the coffin of Pedi-Osiris are blue, red and turquoise. The artist must have used this limited color palette so that people focus on the detail of the paintings rather than be distracted by many colors.
Modern Art has been influenced by many people and times that have prevailed. There came a time when art had to be a depiction of reality, and real life was to be the focal point of all modern art. Art used to be an imaginary transformation of the world. For some, the various influences on modern art, are seen as chaotic and incomprehensible. The complete definition of art began to change during the Industrial Revolution. Prior to the revolution, art was a celebration of the society and its ideologies. The Industrial Revolution influenced modern art to become totally subversive. The focus of art was on myths and the mythic constellation. However, it transformed into a focus on the civilization and the bourgeois. At the time, art was mainly for the bourgeois; therefore, it had to relate to them.
The main problem was to depict the modernism in society and make that the new style or attitude of art. It was the process of finding the modern issues that confused artists of the time. The role of art changed along with the role of the artist. This was due to the fact that the roles of people were changing. There was massive social and economic change occurring, which isolated artists. They were not able to relate to the changes due to their differing conditions.
The ancient Egyptian religion is alive mostly in symbols and rituals. A religion belongs to "a community of small extent" on the level of family or society, or one that is not institutionally organized. The ancient Egyptians regarded art in the form of coffins with much respect.
Conclusion
The coffin of Pedi- Osiris is very intricately made by the artist, and it has a lot of value in the eyes of any artist. The coffin is mainly painted with three colors; red, blue and turquoise. There are a number of deities on the coffin that signify different things in ancient Egyptian religion. The animals were considered to be sacred beings and were gifted to people as a welcome or thank you gesture (Davies and Smith, pp. 112). The coffin is presently located in the Museum of Fine Art in Houston. It has been preserved well and is kept clean for the display. There is a lot that is different in Egyptian Art from Modern Art. From an artistic point of view, the coffin of Pedi- Osiris is one of the most well regarded works of art. These works of art that are seen now were not just that for the ancient Egyptians. They saw them as having a purpose; resurrection and afterlife. The paintings and inscriptions on the coffins have the purpose of protecting the body of the deceased and assisting it in the journey to the afterlife. The coffin is symmetrical, with deities and inscriptions placed with precision. The artist has used geometric shapes with lines to separate almost all the objects and figures on the coffin.
Works Cited
“When the pyramids were built: Egyptian art of the old kingdom”, (2000). Library Journal, 125(1), pp. 92-92. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/196763412?accountid=35812
Andrews, C., “The Amulets of Ancient Egypt”, Austin, (1994), pp. 9.
Davies S. and Smith, H., “Sacred Animal Temples at Saqqara” in QUIRKE, S. (ed.), The Temple in Ancient Egypt, London, (1997), pp. 112-113.
Joseph, L. C., “Mysteries of Ancient Egypt”, Internet@Schools, (2008), 15(6), pp. 22-26. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/229840966?accountid=35812
MFAH, “The Coffin of Pedi-Osiris”, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Kinder Foundation, Teacher Resource Center, (2011), pp. 01. Data retrieved from: www.mfah.org on 04 January, 2012
PAA, “Painted Wooden Coffin of the Sacred Ibis of Thoth”, Phoenix Ancient Art S.A., (2011), pp. 01. Data retrieved from: http://www.phoenixancientart.ch/works_of_art/269 on 04 January, 2012
Wolgamott, L. K., “Mummy, Coffin of Egyptian Noble on Display”, (2010), pp. 01. Lincoln Journal Star, pp. C.8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/722542293?accountid=35812
Appendices
Figure 1.1
*This hollow coffin measures 86 1/8 x 26 x 18 inches, and consists of four separate pieces of carved wood. The upper front section is approximately one-third of the length of the coffin and is attached to the bottom front section. The upper back section is slightly longer than its front counterpart, and the lower back section is slightly shorter than its front counterpart. The coffin is hinged along its vertical side so that it opens along its length. (Source: http://www.mfah.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2010-12-12/Egyptian.Coffin_of_Pedi-Osiris.pdf)
Figure 1.2
Painted Wooden Coffin of the Sacred Ibis of Thoth
Period: Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, 305-30 B.C.
Culture: Egypt
Category:
Dimensions: 43.8 x 18.5 cm
Price: SOLD
Provenance: Purchased by Galerie L'Ibis, New York, early 1980's.
Condition: This painted wooden coffin is in an extraordinary state of preservation, especially considering the fragility of the original materials. The wood has been well-preserved by the arid conditions of the tomb and displays minimal cracking and warping. The paint is original to the piece and nearly completely intact, with very little flaking. The polychrome hues have retained their original strength and brilliancy, allowing the viewer to observe the work in as close to original condition as possible.
