Funerary Papyrus of Tayuhenutmut

Ancient Egyptian · Third Intermediate Period, probably Dynasty 21 (about 1069-945 BCE)

Medium

Papyrus and pigment

Original size

24.5 × 101 cm (9 11/16 × 39 7/8 in.)

Currently held

Art Institute of Chicago

Movement

Medieval

The Funerary Papyrus of Tayuhenutmut is a striking document of ancient belief — a richly illustrated scroll created to guide its owner safely through the dangers of the afterlife. Produced during Dynasty 21 of the Third Intermediate Period, this papyrus belongs to a golden era of Egyptian funerary art, when scribes and painters produced some of the most refined Book of the Dead manuscripts ever made. The anonymous craftsmen who created it worked with mineral pigments — ochres, Egyptian blue, carbon black — applying them with remarkable precision onto prepared papyrus sheets. The compositions follow strict iconographic conventions: registers of gods, hieroglyphic columns, and scenes drawn from established funerary texts, all rendered in the flat, confident line work that defines the Egyptian visual tradition. Tayuhenutmut herself was likely a woman of priestly or noble rank; her name and the care taken over her papyrus both point to someone of significant standing in Theban society during this period. Our hand-painted oil reproduction translates this ancient work into a richly layered medium, preserving the geometric clarity of the original composition while drawing out the warmth of its colours — the deep ochres, measured blues, and precise black outlines that have endured more than three thousand years.