Outermost Coffin of Tutankhamun

The outermost coffin of the three that were originally placed one inside the other in the Tomb of Tutankhamun.

It was found inside the outer gilded coffin. It is made of compact wood, covered with sheets of gold and is inlaid with semiprecious stones and multicolored glass. It depicts the mummified figure of Osiris, lord of eternity, with his arms crossed upon his chest and holding his divine insignia, the crook and the flail.

The lid of the coffin was fixed in place by little gold-headed nails of electrum, an alloy of silver and gold. Soon after the discovery of the tomb in 1922, both the inner and middle coffins were transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, while the outer gilded coffin was left inside the tomb.

Preliminary examination carried out on the outer coffin inside the tomb revealed that it was suffering from general weakness and it had also developed cracks in its gilded layers of plaster especially those of the lid and base. An immediate intervention to restore the coffin inside a suitable environment is now required.

From the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62), Valley of the Kings, West Thebes. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 60670