Stele

Stele of Iku

Stele of Iku

This stele features a low-relief depiction of a seated woman named Iku, positioned on a chair with lion’s legs. In front of her is an offering table adorned with loaves of bread. She is portrayed wearing a long, smooth wig and a close-fitting dress, while holding a flower to her nose. To the right of...

Stele of Qetesh

Stele of Qetesh

The Stele of Qetesh is a rectangular limestone monument which features a cavetto cornice at the top and is bifacial, with inscriptions and reliefs on both sides. The stele measures approximately 31.5 cm in height and 18.8 cm in width. The central figure is Qetesh, depicted as a frontal nude woman with a Hathoric wig...

Semna Boundary Stela of Senwosret III

The Semna Boundary Stela of Senwosret III holds one of the most significant inscriptions from Ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom. It stands as a powerful testament to the king’s military dominance and nationalistic ideology. Discovered at the Semna fortress, located in Nubia near the Second Cataract of the Nile, the stela served both as a territorial...

Stele of Nakhtimen

Stele of Nakhtimen

The stele features a concave shape with a bas-relief of Nakhtimen in a kneeling position, adorned with a pleated kilt, wig, and a ‘usekh’ collar. Above him, the goddess Meretseger is depicted as a cobra with a disc and horns. A table of offerings is also present. The hieroglyphic inscriptions include the names and titles...

Votive Stele of Artisan Bay

Votive Stele of Artisan Bay

This stele was dedicated by artisan Bay to Amun-Re and comes from the workers’ village of Deir el-Medina. It still retains its vivid colors, in particular the three pairs of ears painted blue, yellow, and green on the left side. These represent the ears of the god that “listens to prayers”. This form of Amun-Re...

Stele of Nit-Ptah

Stele of Nit-Ptah

The stele depicts Nit-Ptah, his wife Seni, and their family: two males alternating with two females to create a pleasing chromatic contrast as a result of the different colors of their skins. Men were painted in ochre and women in light cream wash. The head of the family, Nit-Ptah, is shown on the right, wearing...

Funerary Stele of Tembu

Funerary Stele of Tembu

This round topped funerary stele of Tembu is carved in very low relief and brightly painted in red, yellow, blue, and black. The decoration comprises of two registers of offering scenes and a register of inscription on the bottom. The top depicts two Wadjet eyes flanking a shen-ring and water ripples with a bowl. Below...

Stele of Amenemhat and his wife Hemet

Stele of Amenemhat and his wife Hemet

This stele was colored with a mixture of pigment and tempera. First, however, it was sculpted in raised and sunken relief; only later were some of its surfaces embellished with black, brown, green, yellow, and white paint. The stele commemorates for all eternity a man named Amenemhat and his wife, Hemet. Before them are two...

cippus of Horus

Cippus of Horus

This stele is known in Egyptian art as a cippus (pl. cippi) or magical stele. The instructions found on some cippi indicate that they were used to heal afflictions caused by snake or scorpion venom. Specifically, Egyptians believed that the water poured over these cippi would be transformed into a curative remedy that the afflicted...

Cult Stele of King Ahmose

Cult Stele of King Ahmose

This unique stele commemorates the deceased ruler Ahmose (1539-1515 BC), who inaugurated the 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom. The relief style places the stele’s manufacture later in the reign of Tutankhamun (1332–1323 BC). At this time, royal cults were reinstated after the reign of Akhenaten, who wiped out the cults of other gods in...