A rare cast hollow bronze rectangular box, the top surmounted by a coiled snake, with body coiled back upon itself. A rectangular recess in the back for insertion of the contents. This type of small sarcophagus for the animal would have apotropaic powers for healing and childbirth.
 
Egyptian Late period: Circa 500 BC - 300 BC.
 
Very Fine condition with good stable bronze; dark patination.
Length 5.7 cms (2.25 ins).
 
Provenance: Ex British collection of Mrs S.M. Penn, Middlesex; Acquired 1983 from B A Seaby Ltd, London, stock no 270 with original receipt of purchase.
 
For similar example see:
British Museum collection
Bonhams sale 2009
Art Institute Chicago
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
 
The coiled snake that rests atop this diminutive bronze box indicates that it is a sarcophagus for a serpent. Ancient Egyptians believed in the rebirth of the soul after death, and tombs were often filled with objects that would aid the deceased in their transition from the earthly to the spiritual realm. Snakes, which shed their skin, functioned as symbols of rebirth. This made them appropriate companions for one who wished to be resurrected in the afterlife (The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum).