Why are the eyes on an Egyptian mummy's coffin painted open?

Esmat Morshedy seems to have mixed up eyes on mummies with painted eyes on their coffins. The coffins were not involved in the process of embalming by removing soft tissue which would not easily be dried, and so the painted eyes being painted open are not quite explained by that. read more

They were painted and inscribed in hieroglyphs with four important features: the deceased's name and titles; a list of food offerings; a false door through which the ka could pass; and eyes through which the deceased could see outside the coffin. read more

An inscribed vertical band was painted in the middle of the lid which then descended to the edge of the feet, and four transverse bands were painted on both sides of the lid and case of the coffin, in imitation of the mummy bandages. Painted panels of Osiris, Anubis and the Sons of Horus are sometimes represented between the texts, but the most typical iconography of these coffins shows various burial themes, such as the transport of the mummy, mourners, offering rituals and so on. read more