Meryra

There is no architectural representation in this panel, not even an altar. Only three tables of offerings are illustrated resting on the floor.

The conventions of Egyptian drawing are perfectly respected. The scene shows the king and the queen one behind the other, but who were actually side by side (view 48), who throw a fragrant resin into the two braziers which surmount the offerings on the table. These braziers were in fact in front of the table on which one had stacked the usual animal and plant products. Akhenaten is crowned with the khepresh, and is clothed only with of a loincloth resting on his hips. The whole of his body is represented particularly gynoid (pear-shaped), very similar to that of Nefertiti. [NB: The possible significance of the sovereign's physical representation is discussed in the article Akhenaten and the religion of the Aten]. Behind the couple are two of their daughters who wear the hanging side lock of childhood - Merytaten and Maketaten (who shake sistra).

Meryra is accompanied by another priest, both are much smaller than Akhenaten. He holds out to the king the products destined for the offering, probably a cone of incense.

Seen here is the position which Akhenaten assigned to the above dignitary of his clergy : the one of an underling, with no theological role since the king and the queen, and them only, could address Aten and provide worship of the cult in its fullness. However, he probably had the power to assist in worship, probably simplified, when the sovereigns were indisposed.

The representation of the disk which surmounts the scene is extraordinary and has never been found elsewhere

. It was the subject of numerous speculations which deserve a special chapter.

TOMB N°4, North Group

Meryra

http://www.osirisnet.net/tombes/amarna/meryra/e_meryra_01.htm

The tomb of Pennut

 

South wall

In the register underneath is found beneath the divine triad, Pennut and the "Supervisor of the granaries, Penre"; the latter is responsible for ensuring the proper implementation of the statue’s maintenance.

Under Ptah and Thoth, two women are visible, which belong to a scene located on the east wall.

The gift of the statue and the management of its worship reflect the privileged status of Pennut and are a source of prestige, like the authorization to represent his sovereign in his tomb.

Pennut plans to continue to benefit from this status in the afterlife, since the legal deed of gift, engraved on the walls remain visible to all visitors of the chapel and to the gods named in the tomb.

The tomb of Pennut

http://www.osirisnet.net/tombes/amada/pennout/e_pennout_01.htm

The tomb of Pennut

Head from an Osiride Statue of Hatshepsut

Head from an Osiride Statue of Hatshepsut

Period:New KingdomDynasty:Dynasty 18Reign:Joint reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmose IIIDate:ca. 1479–1458 B.C.Geography:From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, Jaw from "Hatshepsut Hole"/rest from Senenmut Quarry, MMA excavations, 1922–23/1926–28

This head originally belonged to one of the Osiride statues that were carved in high relief in niches along the rear wall of the upper terrace of Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el Bahri. Hatshepsut wears the Double Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt suggesting that the head was from a figure in one of the niches on the northern side of the terrace. Another head, 31.3.163, wears the White Crown of Upper Egypt and came from a niche on the southern side.

These Osiride figures were architectural accents rather than freestanding statues and were carved from the same limestone blocks that were used to construct the temple itself. Four Osiride statues decorated the corners of the temple's shrine of Amun (31.3.153–.155), and a series of much larger statues were attached to the pillars at the front of the upper terrace (31.3.156, 31.3.158, 31.3.159).

Met Museum

SPINDLE WHORL

SPINDLE WHORL

WOOD

This wooden spindle was found, together with three similar objects, in the tomb of the 'embroideress' at Antinoopolis during the excavations led by A. Gayet. The instrument served to spin linen or wool. The bottom of the disk has been flattened, while the top shows a curve. It is possible that the disk once held a hook which guided the thread.

EL-SHEIKH `ABADA/ANTINOOPOLIS

ROMAN PERIOD

KMKG - MRAH

Inventory number E.1031A

globalegyptianmuseum

BAKERY (MODEL)

BAKERY (MODEL)

This model of wood, which was found during the excavations of A. Gayet at Antinoopolis, depicts a standing man, a woman sitting before a chopping-block and a loaf which is found on the floor. It was probably part of a baking scene. The piece, which carries traces of stucco and paint, dates from the Middle Kingdom.

EL-SHEIKH `ABADA/ANTINOOPOLIS

1ST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD >

J. Breasted, Egyptian Servant Statues, Washington 1948, 30 nº 6

Génie des hommes, âme de l'homme (Exposition), Huy 1998, 14, 41 nº 28

KMKG - MRAH

globalegyptianmuseum

Model of a funerary boat

Model of a funerary boat

Funerary boat, of low keel and not too high ends. Six persons are standing in line on its deck, holding a lamb to be sacrificed. On one end of the boat there is a squatting man, who would be in charge of the rudder, and next to him another man standing up, completing the crew. This piece is not of high artistic merit; it is the product of a workshop for middle class customers who were improving their lifestyle in this period. It is not a boat for going on pilgrimage to Abydos, but a model of offering bearers that were placed inside the tombs.

Present location MUSEO ARQUEOLÓGICO NACIONAL [21/007] MADRID

Inventory number 16029

Dating MIDDLE KINGDOM

Archaeological Site EL-GABALIN/GEBELEIN

Category BOAT (MODEL)

Material WOOD

Technique INCISED; PAINTED ON STUCCO

Height 13.5 cm

Width 8.5 cm

Bibliography• ALMAGRO BASCH, M; ALMAGRO GORBEA, M, J; PEREZ - DIE, Mª C, Arte Faraónico. Exposición,1975, P. 103 Nº 43,

•PEREZ- DIE, Mª C., Egipto. Guía didáctica del Museo Arqueológico Nacional. I, 1985, P.32.

•Guía Histórica y Descriptiva del Museo Arqueológico Nacional, 1917, P.96.

•ALVAREZ- OSSORIO, F., Una visita al Museo Arqueológico Nacional, 1925, P.35.

•PEREZ DIE, Mª C., La Collection Egyptienne du Musée Archéologique National de Madrid (Espagne). Acts. First International Congress of Egyptology. October 1976, Berlín, 1979, lám. LXXII.

•PEREZ DIE, M.C. La Tumba de Tutmosis III. Las horas oscuras del sol. Catálogo de la Exposición, Madrid 2004, p.110

globalegyptianmuseum

facsimile ocas

Facsimile Painting of Geese, Tomb of Nefermaat and Itet

Artist:Charles K. Wilkinson [painted 1920-21]

Period:Original: Old KingdomDynasty:Dynasty 4Reign:reign of SnefruDate:ca. 2575–2551 B.C.Geography:Original from Egypt, Memphite Region, Meidum, Tomb of Nefermaat and Itet, outer chapel of ItetMedium:Tempera on paperDimensions:facsimile: h. 24.5 cm (9 5/8 in); w. 161.5 cm (63 9/16 in) scale:1:1 framed: h. 30.5 cm (12 in); w. 167 cm (65 3/4 in)

This facsimile copies a painting from the early Dynasty 4 tomb of Nefermaat and Itet at Meidum, the original of which is now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo (Cairo CG 1742). The geese were once part of a larger scene found on the north wall in the tomb chapel of Itet, the wife of the vizier Nefermaat, and likely the daughter-in-law of King Snefru. As members of the royal family, the pair was granted a large mastaba tomb close to the pyramid of the king and could employ the most sought-after artists of the day to help in its decoration. The geese were depicted below a scene showing men trapping birds in a clap net and offering them to the tomb’s owner. While it is not uncommon to find scenes of fowling in the marshes in Old Kingdom tombs, this example is one of the earliest and is notable for the extraordinary quality of the painting. The artist took great care in rendering the colors and textures of the birds’ feathers and even included serrated bills on the two geese bending to graze.

Met Museum

metmuseum.org