Coffin Lid of Ta-aa

Upper portion of the polychrome painted coffin lid of the noble lady of the house (nbt pr Spst) Ta-aa, daughter of the Prophet of Amun in Karnak Djedkhonsefankh and the noble lady of the house (nbt pr Spst) Irtybast. Wife of the (Prophet of Montu) lord of Thebes Khonsmose and mother to the Prophet of Montu and Scribe Djedkhonsefankh. The eyes are inlaid with bronze calcite and obsidian with bronze eyebrows (one now missing). The face is pink, with a wig striped blue and yellow. On top of the headdress is a figure of Nephthys kneeling with outstretched wings. Round the head is a tippet of three rows of lotus petals. The necklace has twelve rows of lotus petals, flowers, rectangles, drop-shaped beads and triangles inlaid with daisies. Below is a figure of Nut wearing a winged disc, kneeling on a facade and extending arms and wings. On either side of the facade there are twelve lines of hieroglyphs. On the inside are two vignettes from the Book of the Dead, one with the deceased adoring the boats of Kheper, Maat, Isis etc; the other with the deceased offering her heart to Isis and three other deities. There are also religious inscriptions with parts of chapters 26, 68 and 101 from the Book of the Dead. The inside is very well preserved but some parts of the exterior were damaged in the fire which destroyed the museum in the Second World War.