Rear of sarcophagus with the goddess Hathor - very fine - Ancient Egypt, Late Period, 664 - 332 BC Wooden and pigments 64 cm length and 25 cm width PROVENANCE: - Private collection, Mr. I, France, before 1980. CONDITION: Good condition and original pigments, see photos. In Ancient Egypt, wooden sarcophagi were carefully crafted not only as funerary containers, but also as sacred spaces that ensured the protection and rebirth of the deceased in the afterlife. One of the most significant elements of the interior of these sarcophagi was the depiction of a goddess, commonly Hathor or Isis, painted on the bottom, just below the body of the deceased. This image was not decorative, but symbolic: the goddess, with outstretched arms and a serene expression, was shown as the guardian of the deceased, enveloping him with her divine power. Hathor, goddess of love, motherhood and music, also played a crucial role as the deity of rebirth and welcome to the afterlife. Isis, on the other hand, was a magical protector, symbol of resurrection through her role in the resurrection of Osiris. Both were invoked to ensure that the soul could be reborn like the sun god Ra every morning. These interior paintings, often accompanied by inscriptions of incantations from the Book of the Dead, turned the sarcophagus into a kind of divine womb, a place of transformation where death was not the end, but the beginning of a new eternal existence.64 cm long and 25 cm wide.