Canopic Box

The canopic chest was an important part of the funerary equipment of the ancient Egyptians since the Old Kingdom. It was made to hold the four canopic jars that contained the wrapped internal organs removed from the corpse during the mummification process.
The lid of this Ptolemaic wooden chest is now missing. Its contents are also lost. Considering its dimensions and the burial customs of the period, it is unlikely that this chest contained canopic jars; the wrapped organs were rather placed in it directly.
The paintwork on the box is significantly worn. Originally, each side panel was decorated with one of the four sons of Horus, protectors of the internal organs. Today, only the baboon-headed Hapy is well preserved. There are considerable damages to the human-headed Imsety and the jackal-headed Duamutef. The decoration of the fourth side, which originally featured the hawk-headed Qebehsenuef, is vanished.