Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · papyrus

Papyrus Lid from Tutankhamun's Embalming Cache

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

Jar Lid, papyrus. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336–1327 B.C. Papyrus. Diam. 9.6 cm (3 3/4 in.). From: Embalming Cache of Tutankhamun (KV 54), Valley of the Kings, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Egypt. Excavation: Davis/Ayrton excavations, 1907–08. Credit: Gift of Theodore M. Davis, 1909.

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

A circular papyrus lid or fragment made of bundled papyrus strips, partially unrolled and bound at the center, with a small painted or inscribed area near the right side.

The image shows a thin, circular object composed of numerous pale papyrus strips wrapped and pressed together, forming a fan-like radial pattern from a central crease or knot. The outer edge is uneven and worn, with portions of the papyrus fibers lifted or frayed. Near the right half, there is a small red-brown marking or short inscription-like strokes, but the characters are not fully legible at this resolution. No clearly identifiable human figures, animals, deities, or cartouches are visible. The background is a neutral grey museum mount.

unclear New Kingdom (catalogue-aligned; exact dating not verifiable from image alone) fragmentary
Materials papyrus (bundled strips)ink/paint (red-brown marking)
Signs Unidentified red-brown ink strokes (possible numerals/inscription fragment)
Visible text "Small red-brown inscription-like marking near right side; exact text unclear"

Inscriptions (1)

Inscription #1 AI reading of the photograph

Visible text (machine reading)

Small red-brown inscription-like marking near right side; exact text unclear

Connections

Royals Tutankhamun
Materials Papyrus

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116273540 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 09.184.252 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 549598 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
About this record's data
  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
  • AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
  • Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
  • Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.