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© Bruce M. White, 2007.
ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Papyrus of Tanetshedkhonsu

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa
CultureEgyptian
PeriodThird Intermediate Period, Dynasty 21
Date1076-944 BCE
MediumPapyrus, paint
Credit LineGift of Anne Cox Chambers
Dimensions8 1/4" x 4' 1 1/2" (21 x 125.7 cm)
Object number2005.007.003
Label TextThis papyrus belonged to the Mistress of the House and Chantress of Amun, Tanetshedkhonsu, a Theban noblewoman of the Twenty-first Dynasty. The scroll is inscribed with portions of two funerary texts known as the "Litany of Re" and the "Amduat," or "Book of that which is in the Underworld." In the "Litany of Re," the deceased is equated with the sun god, who was reborn each morning, in the hope of securing the same fate. The "Amduat" is one of several guidebooks designed to aid the deceased in their perilous journey through the Underworld. These guidebooks provided descriptions of the Underworld, accompanied by illustrations, to familiarize the deceased with the challenges to be faced.
Exhibition HistoryFrom Pharaohs to Emperors: New Egyptian and Classical Antiquities at Emory, Michael C. Carlos Museum, January 14 - April 2, 2006
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2006 - January 2011
Monsters, Demons & Winged Beasts: Composite Creatures in the Ancient World, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 5 - June 19, 2011
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, June 20 - September 20, 2011
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, June 17, 2013 - August 29, 2016
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, March 11, 2024 - Present
Published ReferencesSotheby's New York, Antiquities: Including Property from the Collection of Gustave and Franyo Schindler (December 9, 2004), 130-131, lot 318.
MCCM Newsletter, March - May 2005.
MCCM Newsletter, December 2005 - February 2006.
Peter Lacovara and Jasper Gaunt, "From Pharaohs to Emperors: Egyptian, Near Eastern & Classical Antiquities at Emory," Minerva 17 (January/February 2006): 9-16.
Michael C. Carlos Museum: Highlights of the Collections (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2011), 24.
ProvenanceEx coll. John George Dodson (1825-1897), 1st Lord Monk Bretton of Conybro and Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, England. Thence by descent. Purchased by MCCM from Sotheby's New York, December 9, 2004, lot 318.
Status
On view
Collections
  • Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art