Sarcophagus Fragments

“Daughter of the scribe of the Divine Book of Nemty, Prophet of Isis-the-Great, Prophet of Isis-upon-the-Great Seat, Overseer of the Wab Priests of Sekhmet, descendant of a mayor of Thebes...Her mother was a sistrum player, musician-priestess of Wep Waw Et, Lord of Asyut. She was a descendant of the Vizier Harsiese.” Thus the hieroglyphics introduce Irtyru, whose sarcophagus was presented to the museum as a gift of the John Needles Chester Endowment. The Chester Endowment has been a major resource for the acquisition of works of art through the years. And with Irtyru, the Endowment again brings special distinction to the World Heritage Museum. Irtyru lived and died in Egypt some 3,000 years ago, during the XXIII to the XXV dynasties. She was buried in sumptuous fashion, mummified inside this carved, painted, and gilt sarcophagus, which has retained its splendor through three millennia. The coffin shows Irtyru wearing the heavy, black wig of the period and a broad jeweled collar with falcon-head terminals. The coffin is decorated outside with images of the four sons of Horus, the hawk-headed sun god, and inside with images of Isis, the goddess of the underworld, holding a Horus hawk. The sarcophagus is the centerpiece of a recreated Egyptian burial chamber in the museum and a highlight of the Egyptian collections."
—World Heritage Museum, p. 1

Published: Art of the Ancient World, IV, 1984, pg. 152, #487.

"Bound for Eternity," Heritage (September 1986): 3-4.

"In Search of the Ancient Egyptians," Heritage (April 1987): 1.

Photo: Heritage (April 1988): 3.

"WHM: Where Yesterday Meets Tomorrow," Heritage (November 1991): 2.

Adkins, Karen and Gary, "Urbana's Treasure-House," Illinois Magazine (Litchfield, IL) 28/6 (November-December 1989): 3 (photo).