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Coffin for a serpent
Egyptian
Late Period–Hellenistic Period, Dynasty 25–Ptolemaic
760–30 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Bronze
Dimensions
Height x width x length: 14 x 3.8 x 55 cm (5 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 21 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
William Stevenson Smith Fund
Accession Number1986.239
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsReligious and cult objects
DescriptionThe eel was sacred to the creator god Atum of Heliopolis, and numbers of eels and snakes must have been offered in the god's sanctuaries. This container for such an offering combines the body of an eel with the hood of a cobra and a human head. The head wears the false beard of a deity and a double crown with uraeus.The head is supported by a prop hidden by the hood.
ProvenanceBy 1981: Walter Stein collection (Sotheby Parke-Bernet sale, December 9. 1981, no. 121); 1986: purchased by the MFA at Sotheby's (New York Sale No. 5464 May 30, 1986, no. 77).