The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Coffin of Senbi (Lid)

1918–1859 BCE

Egypt, Meir, Middle Kingdom

(2040–1648 BCE), Dynasty 12, reign of Amenemhat II (1929–1895 BCE)–reign of Senusret III (1878–1839 BCE)
gessoed and painted cedar
Overall: 69.7 x 55 x 213 cm (27 7/16 x 21 5/8 x 83 7/8 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1914.716.b
Location: 107 Egyptian

Description

This is the most common type of coffin during the Middle Kingdom. The mummy was placed on his left side, facing east, his head behind the two magical eyes. These--in the shape of human eyes, to which have been added the markings of a falcon's head--were supposed to enable him to behold the rising sun, reborn daily. The long horizontal inscriptions are prayers to Anubis (god of embalming) and Osiris (god of the dead) for offerings of food and drink and other items necessary in the afterlife. The short vertical inscriptions place him under the protection of various other cosmic and funerary deities.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 2 archive.org
    Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Mentioned: p. 186-189; Reproduced: p. 187
  • CMA 1916, no. 89, p. 213
  • {{cite web|title=Coffin of Senbi (Lid)|url=false|author=|year=1918–1859 BCE|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.716.b