Outer Coffin & Lid Of Tentkhonsu

From card: "Egyptian list says: Coffin of The lady Singer of Ammon Ra, King of Gods "Tentkhonsou?" The deceased is also called musician with the hand for Maut the great lady of Ashron. Dr. L. Bull, Met. Mus., N.Y., identifies as "Outer coffin of the Chantress of Amun-Re King of gods, and Singer of Mut, Tenet-Khonsu. ... figure on the floor ... Osiris with the lower part of his figure assimilated tot his symbol the dad pillar. His headdress is not strictly the atef crown but consists of the plumes & ram's horns associated with that crown." XXI Dynasty. Exhibit, Hall 26, 1976." See also Catalogue No. 154954, which is inner coffin and lid of Tentkhonsu. 1978 NMNH slide set caption: "Outer coffin and lid, painted with hieroglyphs and ritual scenes, 3-dimensional portrait head at top, coffin of Tenet-Khonsu, chantress of Amon-Ra, Egyptian, Thebes, 21st Dynasty, ca. 1000 B.C." Note re photos: Negative #78-8761 is frontal, lt, overview. 78-8762 is profile, lt, overview. 78-8763 is frontal, lt, detail of front cover. 78-8764 is 3/4, lt, detail, bust. 78-8765 is frontal, lt, overview, shows painted interior of coffin. 78-8769 is frontal, lt overview of both Cat. # 154953 and 154954, the inner and outer coffins and lids.

As of 2011, the inner coffin of Tenkhonsu, Catalogue # A154954, is on display in the NMNH Exhibit Hall "Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt". The information that follows is from the exhibit label for the inner coffin, 2011: Coffin of Tentkhonsu, 1025-980 B.C. Tentkhonsu's coffin set included an inner coffin (# A154954), as well as an outer coffin and a board (# A154953) to protect the mummy. The set was one of 153 burials from Bab el-Gasus, a tomb chamber in Deir el-Bahari where Egyptians moved the coffins and mummies of elite 21st-dynasty families. The lid presents an idealized portrait of Tentkhonsu. Tentkhonsu's mummy has never been identified. Tentkhonsu means "She who belongs to the god Khonsu" - a name that shows she came from an elite Theban family that staffed the city's temples. She sang at festivals, and, like most Egyptian women, probably married by 14 and ran a household. If she reached age 40, she would have outlived many of her contemporaries.

Detailed photos are available on S drive: DVD 1674 outer chest; DVD 1675 outer lid; DVD 1686 zip files of both folders.

6 Jul 2025

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