This alabaster canopic chest belonging to Tutankhamun stands as one of the most exquisite masterpieces within King Tut’s collection. Its interior features four compartments, each housing a cylindrical hollow with a lid intricately carved in the likeness of the king’s head.
Adorning the four corners of the chest are goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Neith, and Serket, depicted in high relief, extending their arms protectively over the chest’s contents.
Inside the canopic chest, each of the four compartments housed a miniature coffin. These coffins, covered in linen, stood upright within their cylindrical compartments, almost adhered to the bottom due to the solidification of the unguents poured in during the ritual.
Notably, it was the responsibility of the goddess Nepthys, whose name is inscribed on the front, to safeguard Tutankhamun’s lungs, which were placed inside the chest after being properly preserved.
The figure, crafted from solid beaten gold with inlays of colored glass and semiprecious stones, closely resembles the design of Tutankhamun’s second coffin, serving as a miniature version of it.
Dating back to the New Kingdom, late 18th Dynasty, during the reign of Tutankhamun, approximately 1332-1323 BC, this canopic jar lid originated from the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) in the Valley of the Kings, West Thebes. Currently housed in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, under the inventory number JE 60687.
