Mask and Foot Cover of “Corn Mummy”, Ptolemaic Egypt. OASC The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Period:
- Ptolemaic Period
- Date:
- 400–250 B.C.
- Geography:
- From Egypt
- Medium:
- Gilded wax on a reconstructed body of ancient linen
- Dimensions:
- H. 68 cm (26 3/4 in.); W. 14.4 cm (5 11/16 in.); D. 11.8 cm (4 5/8 in.)
- Credit Line:
- Gift of Mrs. Goddard DuBois, 1942 (42.6.1b, d–f), 1944 (44.6.1)
- Accession Number:
- 44.6.1
Original description says:
A reconstructed body of ancient linen was created in the 1940s in order to display this mask and foot cover. Originally they belonged to a similarly shaped figure that was filled with grain, which is why such figures are called “corn mummies.” They represent the god Osiris and, since the grain could sprout, they symbolized new life.
