Complete and Gilded Book of the Dead Goes on View for First Time

The Brooklyn Museum has unveiled a rare 21ft complete and gilded Book of the Dead, the finest surviving example of its kind.

Presented to the public for the  first time following a three-year conservation project, the papyrus anchors a newly refreshed funerary installation Unrolling Eternity in the museum’s Ancient Egyptian Art galleries alongside reed pens and preparatory sketches.

The restoration of this papyrus was led by conservation specialist Ahmed Tarek and museum conservators Lisa Bruno, Sara Bone, and Josephine Jenks. Before its arrival at the Museum in 1948 the manuscript had been mounted on an acidic paper backing during an earlier stabilization attempt leading to ongoing deterioration. 

Conservation and research also revealed that the papyrus was cut into smaller sections - likely in the 19th century, a common practice at the time - to facilitate mounting. Only about 11 feet of the scroll remained intact, making the detachment and restoration process particularly challenging. In response, Tarek developed a new method to safely remove the delicate manuscript from its degrading backing without causing further damage.

Books of the Dead are funerary texts from ancient Egypt written for individuals and filled with personalized spells intended to guide the deceased through the underworld. The newly restored manuscript, dated between 340 and 57 B.C.E., is inscribed in hieratic (cursive hieroglyphs) and decorated with ink vignettes, some gilded with gold. It includes nearly all 162 spells from the most extensive Book of the Dead manuscripts and is composed largely in the Memphite style of Lower Egypt, identifiable by its hieratic script and double outlines around text columns and vignettes. 

Underdrawings are visible beneath some illustrations and gilding along with traces of yellow orpiment - a once-common decorative mineral pigment - remain. Unlike most surviving papyri, which are often fragmentary, this example includes blank pages at both the beginning and end, confirming its completeness.

Conservation and curatorial efforts revealed that it belonged to Ankhmerwer son of Taneferher (“the one beautiful of face”), offering a rare connection to an individual who lived more than two thousand years ago.

“Gilded papyri are incredibly rare. Having one that is complete and of Memphite origin makes it even more extraordinary,” said Yekaterina Barbash, Curator of Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Near Eastern Art. “Very few scholars in the field of Book of the Dead studies have had the pleasure of seeing even a fragmentary gilded manuscript. We’re so excited to bring this complete masterpiece to Brooklyn Museum audiences.”

The conservation work has been funded by the Bank of America Art Conservation Project which provides grants to nonprofit cultural institutions to conserve significant woks of arts.