This is part of a rare New Kingdom painted shroud with parts of the Book of the Dead thereon. It is from Rifeh and dates to the 19th-20th Dynasties. The item measures 66.8x45.4cm and belonged to a man called Hapi. It is painted with scenes from the Book of the Dead. These include- Four men carrying a boat on a pole (inside the boat is a mummiform coffin); The Lake of Fire, (Chapter 126 of the Book of the Dead); Transformation into a snake, (Ch 87 of the Book of the Dead); Transformation into a lotus (Ch 81 of the Book of the Dead); Transformation into a Shenti Bird; (Ch 84 of the Book of the Dead). The lake of Fire was the means by which the deceased was purified in the Afterlife. Van Voss (1974) believed that the iconography and the owner's name suggested a Rameside period date (1320-1075 BC). Found at Rifeh (see Petrie 1937, 7). The item was given to Wellcome by Petrie in 1927. Related objects in the Centre: W867 Book of the Dead Papyrus on display in the downstairs gallery. W1050 has a depiction of the Lake of Fire. This is on display in the downstairs gallery. Van Voss, M. Heerma, 1974, 'Een Dodendoek Als Dodenboek' Phoenix 20, 335-338. Petrie, W.M.F., 1937, Funeral Furniture and Stone Vases. London: Bernard Quaritch.
