Mummy breastplate. Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 13th... Lot 48

Mummy breastplate. Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 13th Dynasty (1801-1648 BC). Polychrome cardboard and bandages. Enclosed certificate issued by Bukhara Art Gallery in 2010. It has slight restorations. Measurements: 40 x 30 cm. Fragment of cartonnage corresponding to a pectoral, dated to the 13th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. Cartonage is the funerary wrapping applied to Egyptian mummies, and it began to be used in the First Intermediate Period, although it did not become widespread until the beginning of the 22nd Dynasty. It was composed of several layers of stuccoed cloth or papyrus, which were painted and even decorated with gold leaf. In this case we can see a division into two parts, an upper part with profuse polychrome decoration, like an armour or pectoral itself, and the lower part with two scenes: the upper part with the god Anubis next to a mummified deceased person in his sarcophagus (this type of scene was common on pectorals as they were intended to serve as protection for the deceased) and the lower part with a small group of people in a boat. Keeping the body of the individual intact after death was necessary so that the ka or 'life force' of the Egyptians would have a place to dwell after death. Shallow burials in the hot desert sand often served as mummification; but when bodies were buried in tombs, they began to decompose rapidly, so the ancient Egyptians used mummification to prevent this. Mummification began to be used during the Old Empire, but was not fully developed until the New Empire. It continued to be practised until the demise of the Egyptian religion. Funerary services were accessible to anyone who could afford them, although only the wealthier members of society could afford more elaborate services.