Viscera figure with human head (Imsety)

Unknown

ca. 1000–945 B.C. · Wax · Egyptian Art

One of four "viscera" figures found in the abdominal cavity of an anonymous female mummy, this was meant to protect the internal organs. It appears that her viscera were lost at some point, so the embalmers had made up the usual seven packets that should have contained organs (see for example 25.3.156a) with random scraps of material, including a coil of rope, a piece of cowskin, and bits of leather and rag. Human-headed, this figure represents Imsety, usually seen as the embodiment and protector of the liver.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1000–945 B.C.

Medium

Wax

Department

Egyptian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1925