Inside the Sarcophagus

A sarcophagus is a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece. This painting is about what is inside the stone; a being wrapped and adorned for the afterlife. 

1.8 X 2.5' - mixed media on paper 

2008 

Limestone, granite, sandstone or marble, elaborately carved or decorated, were used to fashion sarcophagi.  Resting above ground, a coffin often encased within, they held the mummified remains. Protecting the preserved body was one of the elements necessary for transforming the deceased into an effective spirit, an akh, who would live on in the afterlife. By the Old Kingdom, coffins were rectangular boxes with flat lids, painted and inscribed in hieroglyphs with four important features: the deceased's name and titles; a list of food offerings; a false door through which the ka could pass; and eyes through which the deceased could see outside the coffin.  Mystical amulets were tucked between the mummy's wrappings to bring luck in the Afterlife. The arms and legs were tied together. This image depicts the goings on inside the sarcophagus with the entombed mummy enjoying a restful sleep on her journey to the afterlife.