Statuette of a Mummified Falcon (funerary furniture fitting)

This carved wooden and painted figurine, also known as the akhom falcon, represents the funerary god Sokar as a mummified falcon with a base. The god was primarily the protective god of the Memphite necropolis. Later, in the New Kingdom, it already owned a region in the underworld, where Ra transformed and reborn during his nocturnal journey. The posture of this small falcon could also indicate the transformation as if it is just being reborn from its red mummy bandages. Perhaps it also indicates the transfiguration necessary for the rebirth of Ra and for every blessed deceased in Osiris’s realm. This falcon wears a wide collar (menit collar) with a counterpoise on its back. The yellow painting on the bird’s neck refers to the gilding of the necklace, while the blue strips are also part of the necklace. The colours of the solar disc on its head wore off. Similar wooden falcons were usually attached to the top of wooden coffins or canopic chests or the base of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris statues.