Papyrus for Qenna – RMO SR vel 1-39

Qenna – qnnA
Provenance Thebes
Added to the collection of the RMO in 1835 and the longest papyrus in the museum’s collection
Early 19th Dynasty 1275 BC
Ranke I, pg. 335, 19

The owner is an Egyptian merchant, who had lived around 1300-1275 BC.

The RMO has managed to safely conserve this papyrus for almost two centuries. Soon after purchase, it was reinforced on the back with a thin and transparent paper called papier végétal. Because during the ages the background and the papyrus shrink and expand in different ways, the underlying paper had to be removed. It took three years and a lot of patience of the conservators to get rid of glue and different subsoils. In 2022 the papyrus was temporarily exhibited in its entirety.

Part of the RMO exhibition from 22 June to 4 September 2022

Book of the Dead papyrus for Quenna (17 metres)

Length approx. 17 metres, height 35-37 cm
RMO inv.no’s – SR vel 1-39
Photo and panorama view VB 2022 (quality remarks) – compilation is around 6 mb