Czére Andrea szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei (Budapest, 2008)
ÉVA LIPTAY: Éva Liptay "My Face Is (That of) Ra"
Both inner sides of the case display the typical registered arrangement which is another characteristic of the Theban coffins of the period. The chthonic, mummiform deities decorating both side walls of the coffin look outwards ("centrifugal composition"). This iconographical layout prominently features the later types of the coffin group under discussion. The yellow ground colour is again a typically distinguishing feature of the pieces made in the later phase of the period.' Since the bottom decoration tends to refer to an earlier phase, while the inner sides rather refer to a later one, the coffin in question can be considered as representational of the transitional phase between the earlier and later variants. In three lateral registers, groups of three mummy-shaped chthonic beings stand looking "out" (i.e. in the direction of the edges of the coffin wall), wearing red crossed stolae on their breasts. The connecting point of the two stripes of the stola and both their ends are adorned by green circles ("pompons"). The figures uniformly wear red belts on their waists with a notched or net pattern, the ends of such belts hanging almost down to the ground. 8 The group in the upper right register consists of two human-headed, bearded figures (the faces are painted yellow) with ointment cones and lotus flowers on the heads 9 flanking a human headed figure (painted yellow) represented en face, the face of which is enclosed inside a blue sun disc. (fig. 1) The lappets of the stylized wig of the latter (in contrast to the profile portraits of the other deities in the row with only one visible lappet) lend further emphasis to the en face representation. 10 The side figures of the left upper panel are the same as on the opposite side, however, the figure flanked by them has a red sun disc," but this time there is a light rim on the place of the head. (fig. 2) The figure has the same wig lappets on the shoulders as the opposite figure depicted with its face in the disc, indicating that the sun disc head is evidently also meant to be represented en face, consequently they must be considered as iconographical counterparts of each other. 12 These middle figures of both groups are worthy of special attention because of the strangeness of their iconography. A similar pair of representations appearing in the same places (in the middle registers on the left and right inner sides of the case), can be seen on another Twenty-first Dynasty 7 coffin preserved in Cracow. 13 The nature of the mummiform otherwordly figures lined up in three registers on the inner sides of the case are usually attributed according to their different heads. If the inner decoration of the lower part of the Twenty-first Dynasty Theban coffins were intended to symbolise the regions of the underworld, so the figures which surround the mummy lying inside the coffin which has chthonic qualities must play a key role in this symbolism. Their iconography
