The loops at the foot and neck of this splendid sculpture indicate that it was meant to be hung as a votive offering to the lord of the afterlife. Osiris was the central figure in Egyptian religion, the god who triumphed over death and therefore offered the hope of resurrection and rebirth to all men. This striking image of the god in his royal mummiform speaks of a universal mystery, the unanswered questions for which no living man has a sure answer.