Ancient Egyptian Fragments
H 18 7/8 x W 5 1/3 x D 2 1/8 inch
Further images
The relief is a tall, narrow wooden corner post forming part of a rectangular anthropoid sarcophagus belonging to Horudja, a Sameref priest active during the 26th Dynasty. The post is carved from a dense, reddish-brown hardwood, likely acacia or sycomore fig, and displays a single vertical register of hieroglyphic inscription incised in low relief., and black tones, now largely lost but still visible in recesses along the carved signs.
The front face is smoothly dressed and carved with careful, elegant hieroglyphs typical of the Saite Period’s revivalist classicism, reflecting the archaising tendencies of Dynasty XXVI. The back of the post is roughly chiselled, with four mortise-holes corresponding to dowels that once secured it to the wooden frame of the coffin. The post is split vertically along the grain but retains structural integrity; the surface shows fine craquelure and minor losses at the upper and lower edges.
The object represents the reunited upper and lower segments of the same vertical post, now brought together for the first time in over fifty years. The join between the two sections is purposely kept visible in the mounting. The proportions and curvature of the edges confirm its function as a corner element framing the coffin front.