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Lot Essay
Excavated by Ahmed Kamal at Meir in 1910, this coffin belongs to Willem’s Type III, featuring a prominent panel of wedjat-eyes near the head of the deceased, which allowed the owner to magically look out from within. Other than the eye panel, the decoration consists primarily of well-drawn hieroglyphs in horizontal and vertical registers on the exterior; the interior was left undecorated. The lid of the coffin also features a single line of vertical inscription naming the wab-priest Senbi and requesting offerings from Anubis. In addition to the standard offering formula, the short texts on all sides of the coffin stress the protection of Senbi by various protective deities, and the arrangement of texts follows a prescribed format relating to the cardinal directions. Bands of white and green enliven the hieroglyphs texts. The side which does not feature the eye panel invokes Nut in her role as protector of the dead man: “Your mother Nut is stretched out above you. May she cause you to be a great god without enemies.”
Although the excavations of Ahmed Kamal were notoriously poorly documented, the publication of this coffin in Kamal’s report on his 1910 excavations at Meir is clear proof of its discovery there. Kamal comments that “La momie est en bon état” (“the mummy is in good condition”), but the body has since been separated from the coffin. The bottom of the coffin is also now missing. Most of Kamal’s discoveries entered the Khashaba collection, from which they were subsequently dispersed. A curious feature of this coffin is the apparent erasure of the title and name of Senbi, probably in antiquity. It is possible that the coffin was reused for a second owner, or perhaps that Senbi was the target of posthumous vilification. Senbi is a name that is well-attested at Meir, and a coffin of a different Senbi from Meir now in Cleveland (CMA 1914.716.a-b) seems to have been reused for another owner. A canopic box from Meir in the Metropolitan Museum (MMA 11.150.17a1-3) of a steward Senbi in similar style is of particular interest, as the famous faience hippopotamus nicknamed “William” derives from the same tomb group.
Although the excavations of Ahmed Kamal were notoriously poorly documented, the publication of this coffin in Kamal’s report on his 1910 excavations at Meir is clear proof of its discovery there. Kamal comments that “La momie est en bon état” (“the mummy is in good condition”), but the body has since been separated from the coffin. The bottom of the coffin is also now missing. Most of Kamal’s discoveries entered the Khashaba collection, from which they were subsequently dispersed. A curious feature of this coffin is the apparent erasure of the title and name of Senbi, probably in antiquity. It is possible that the coffin was reused for a second owner, or perhaps that Senbi was the target of posthumous vilification. Senbi is a name that is well-attested at Meir, and a coffin of a different Senbi from Meir now in Cleveland (CMA 1914.716.a-b) seems to have been reused for another owner. A canopic box from Meir in the Metropolitan Museum (MMA 11.150.17a1-3) of a steward Senbi in similar style is of particular interest, as the famous faience hippopotamus nicknamed “William” derives from the same tomb group.