Card/Transcription No.: 259

No. 259.

A NICHE cut in the w. corner of the north wall, facing beyond
(left) the head end of the sarcophagus, 130 cents. above the
floor of the Burial-chamber.

THE NICHE takes the form of a roughly cut shallow recess of
rectangular shape, 24 cents. high, 18 cents, wide, and 10
cents. deep. It was closed by the means of two irregular
splinters of limestone, which were plastered over flush with
the surface of the wall and then painted over to match the
colour decoration of the wall.

IT CONTAINED a small wooden shawabti-like figure stood upon a
brick (pedestal) of unbaked clay, and faced south. The figure
was partially swathed with strips of fine linen - the head and
face left uncovered.

THE WOODEN SHAWABTI-LIKE FIGURE, 13.3 cents, high (=7 digits
approx.), takes the form of a mummy, having the winding sheet
painted white, the head-dress black, the face and hands tinted
lemon yellow, and the features delineated in black.

THE BRICK (pedestal), 9.5 cents. long, 4.5 cents. wide, and
1.8 cents. thick (= 5 x 2½ x 1 digits), has graven upon its
upper surface, in front of the figure, the following
incantation in hieroglyphic characters:

<>

The brick (pedestal) has minute globules of a resinous
material exuding from its clay, and it has traces of red paint
on its under surface.

The rubric included in Ch. CLI of the Book of the Dead
refering to this figure and its brick reads:

"This formula is to be spoken over a brick of unbaked clay, on
which this formula has been graven, and a hole made for it in
the wall of the nether chamber; and a figure of im-wood seven
fingers in height, whose mouth has been opened, is fastened on
this brick in the northern wall, its face towards the south,
and it is covered up."