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Funerary Papyrus
The ancient Egyptians produced many types of funerary papyri, which were essential burial goods. This undecorated papyrus, which is written in hieratic, a cursive Egyptian script, belonged to a man named Padikem. The spacing of the words indicates that the text was written with blank spaces where the owner's name could be added at a later date, presumably after purchase. The main sections of the text are written in black ink. Important words, like the names of gods or the beginnings of spells, appear in red. The papyrus of Padikem is a compilation of pre-existing stories and texts. It contains two separate texts for the god Osiris meant to help the deceased Padikem make a successful journey to the afterlife.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2013-2014 | Egypt’s Mysterious Book of the Faiyum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Egypt (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 16 1/8 x W: 64 15/16 in. (41 x 165 cm); Framed H: 20 7/8 x W: 69 x D: 1 7/8 in. (53.1 x 175.3 x 4.7 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.551