The Ancient Egyptians had detailed and specific funerary rites—carried-out with precision and filled with religious symbolism. Of course, the more wealthy and powerful received more elaborate (and expensive) treatment. Embalming was a part of this process.
Embalming was meant to safeguard the body from decomposition. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the body must be preserved in order for it to be reborn into the afterlife. Egypt's dry climate certainly aided in the preservation of bodies. But practitioners of the funerary arts knew which methods worked best. It was important to remove from the body any of the parts which were likely to decompose, thus putrefying the body: the lungs, liver, stomach and intestines. These organs were removed, salted, and each stored in a separate canopic jars made of carved stone, wood or ceramic. Sometimes these jars were capped with plain covers or with carved "heads" representing the four sons of the god Horus: the baboon (lungs), the jackal (stomach), a human (liver) and a falcon (intestines). The heart—which they believed to be the seat of the intellect and the soul—was always kept intact with the body. The brain, on the other hand, was thought to be useless and was removed and disposed of. Each body required four canopic jars which were either contained in a decorative chest or placed in the four corners of the burial chamber. As the millennia passed, and embalming processes improved, it became no longer necessary to remove the organs from the body to ensure preservation—however, the body was still buried with four canopic jars (even if they were empty) because the symbolism was so important. Canopic jars were used in Egypt from about 2500 BC until approximately the death of Cleopatra in 30 BC. Adaptations of the canopic jar were later used for burying the cremated remains of the Etruscans in Italy.
The hammered copper vessel, shown above, is reminiscent of the shape of a canopic jar, with a plain (though handsome) cover. Without the cover, it could be used as a vase. It could also be drilled and wired as a handsome lamp. This piece was hand-raised—from one large ingot of copper—by coppersmiths in Mexico. Their only tools are a bonfire, anvil, tongs and hammers of various peens (not to mention, a lot of muscle). Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome and impressive piece.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
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