Coffin of Pedi-Osiris Essay Example

Introduction

The coffin of Pedi-Osiris is a seven-foot tall and broad coffin prepared for the god Osiris. It is a funerary art prepared during the Ptolemaic period. It was created in 332-30 BC by an Egyptian artist. The artist is believed to have been a male in the 26th Dynasty. The figurative coffin was prepared with the belief that there is life after death. Egyptians believed that there was a life after death and that the dead people needed to be adorned in their next life. It was prepared with great artistic details since it once held the mummified body of the god of Osiris. Egyptians prepared artistic and stylish coffins for the dead to preserve their bodies. Today, the historic coffin of Pedi-Osiris is found in Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. The coffin is a historical figure that is highly studied by historians. It is highly preserved in a clean and safe environment to ensure that generations will learn from it. The coffin was prepared while paying close attention to the iconic details to represent the ideal life a person would live in their afterlife.

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Appearance

The coffin of Pedi-Osiris is a masterpiece of artwork made of polychrome and gilded wood. It is clean but looks worn out with several scratches and dents on the surface. The worn-out look represents the many years the coffin has been in existence. The coffin portrays a gold round face. The face has black-lined eyes looking horizontally straight giving it an exotic look. The eyes, the eyelids, and the eyebrows are clearly curved out to show the god had a high social status in the society. It is adorned with fake beards that are used to represent the high rank of the god Osiris. The artist used deep-blue hue to paint the long wig that spreads over the chest. The painting of the wig and the head is done using an expensive material called Azure. The wig gives the coffin an official look since it has a gold lining at the edges. The upper part of the coffin comprises several necklaces. The necklace is decorated in various patterns and colors including green, gold and red. The three colors are significant since the green color represents agriculture, the gold color represents wealth and wisdom while the red color represents power.

The coffin has a red clothing covering the rest of the body. It has painted beads that give the coffin a colorful look. The coffin has different paintings on it including the ancient gods and goddesses. The various gods and goddesses are painted on the shoulders, hands, and legs. Additionally, other gods are painted at the front base and at the back. The various gods are painted on the coffin as a sign of comfort to the god of Osiris in the afterlife. It was believed that the journey to the afterlife was full of various obstacles. Additionally, the other gods were included in the coffin as a sign of protection. The various gods that were painted on the coffin of Pedi-Osiris included Imsety, Hapy, Dua-mut-ef, and Qebe-Senu-ef. The various gods were used to protect the various parts of the body of the dead including liver, stomach, and intestines. The historic coffin has geometrical patterns on the upper part. It has a painting of the goddess of the sky as well as the sun. The goddess is represented by a nut.

The coffin stands on a gold and rectangular shaped surface representing the wealth and prosperity of the god Osiris. It has curved shapes on the head, shoulders and the whole body. The coffin is made of curved and painted wood plus gold. The type of the coffin of Pedi-Osiris shows that he was not a wealthy person who deserved a coffin designed for upper-class elites. The reason is that the upper-class elites had highly-adorned coffins. However, he still had a social position in the society since his coffin was different from those of the poor people. The creator of the coffin paid much detail to the coffin showing that god Osiris was highly respected in the society and that people wished him well on his way to the afterlife.

The historical coffin was purchased by funds provided by the Alice Pratt Brown Museum Fund. It is located in the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. Millions of people have studied the coffin over the centuries. It was created with great attention to various details including specific color, shape, and elements such as beards. All the elements in the coffin have a specific meaning. The elements include a beard that shows the high rank of the god-Osiris among the people of Egypt. Additionally, the coffin was used to show hope for the afterlife. The mummification of god Osiris shows the deeply-entrenched faith among the Egyptians in the afterlife. The faith in the afterlife involved the need for protection for the deceased on the journey to the other world.