The hidden link between ancient Egyptian statues and anthropoid coffins

Mødedato: Mandag d. 16/3 2026 kl. 19.00
Lokale 23.0.49

v. Stefania Mainieri, Postdoctoral fellow, The University of Naples “L’Orientale”

When we think of ancient Egyptian anthropoid coffins, we immediately think of their rich decorations and inscriptions, but what about the geometry and human features carved into the wood? Thanks to photogrammetry’s ability to ‘reveal the invisible’, we now know that carving was an equally important stage in the complex process of coffin production.

As with statues, the facial features and human parts on the lid reflected specific ‘styles’ that changed over time. Furthermore, a close link in ‘portrait/physiognomic style’ has been found between some coffin masks and statues, suggesting a ‘crossing of artistic forms’ and the possibility of a common production method and/or model for different materials in the same chronological period.

These two aspects are the focus of a recently launched project: Reconstructing physioGnomy In Sculpture: a comparative analysis of ‘yellow coffin’ faces and the faces of statues (RecoGnISe). Based on the results of another project (Faces Revealed Project, Horizon 2020), RecoGnISe  represents its natural continuation and offers exceptional potential for further research on the coffins, shedding new light on their craftsmen and production – a topic that is still controversial in Egyptology due to the lack of archaeological evidence.