This funerary boat model, made of stuccoed and painted wood and dating to the Middle Kingdom (11th–12th Dynasty, c. 2100–1800 BC), measures 27 cm in height and 30 cm in length.
The hull, though now partly worn, was originally painted with green-blue and red bands; the mast, on a white ground, bore alternating red and black stripes. Five male statuettes were fixed onto the boat with tenons, one of them representing the deceased, shown kneeling at the stern and wrapped in a shroud.
Placed in tombs as part of the burial equipment, these models symbolized the voyage to Abydos, the sacred city of Osiris, and more broadly the journey of the soul to the afterlife.
This 3D model was created in collaboration with the Museo Egizio in Turin with the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze.
Information
Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 11th–12th Dynasty (c. 2100–1800 BC)
Stuccoed and painted wood
Measures h 27 cm, l 30 cm
MAEC, Egyptian Collection
