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Ancient Egyptian Limestone Stela
- This limestone stela survives fully intact with traces of its original paint
- Stelae served as the principal medium through which ancient Egyptians made public decrees
- Its inscriptions repeatedly invoke "Thebes of the North," an understudied and fascinating region
- Comparable examples anchor the Egyptian holdings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Princeton University Art Museum
- Get complete item description here
$124,500
Item No.
32-2947
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Description
Ancient Egyptian Limestone Stela
Late Ptolemaic Period, circa 2nd-1st century BCE
This limestone stela was carved during the Late Ptolemaic Period, circa the 2nd-1st century BCE, in the twilight of pharaonic Egypt. Commissioned for Pa-Wept-Nakht, son of Pa-Di-Wesir, it survives fully intact with traces of its original polychromy, a condition rarely encountered in stelae of this age.
Its inscriptions repeatedly invoke "Thebes of the North," a religious center the British Museum identified in. . .
Late Ptolemaic Period, circa 2nd-1st century BCE
This limestone stela was carved during the Late Ptolemaic Period, circa the 2nd-1st century BCE, in the twilight of pharaonic Egypt. Commissioned for Pa-Wept-Nakht, son of Pa-Di-Wesir, it survives fully intact with traces of its original polychromy, a condition rarely encountered in stelae of this age.
Its inscriptions repeatedly invoke "Thebes of the North," a religious center the British Museum identified in. . .
Read More
Ancient Egyptian Limestone Stela
Late Ptolemaic Period, circa 2nd-1st century BCE
This limestone stela was carved during the Late Ptolemaic Period, circa the 2nd-1st century BCE, in the twilight of pharaonic Egypt. Commissioned for Pa-Wept-Nakht, son of Pa-Di-Wesir, it survives fully intact with traces of its original polychromy, a condition rarely encountered in stelae of this age.
Its inscriptions repeatedly invoke "Thebes of the North," a religious center the British Museum identified in its 1981 translation as Tell el-Balamun in the northeastern Delta. The museum noted that this is an understudied and fascinating site and that very few objects can be connected to it, making this stela a considerable rarity.
Five deities are featured beneath the round top, each identified by hieroglyphic text: Amun-Re, lord of the thrones of the Two Lands; Mut, mistress of Isheru; lion-headed Sekhmet, the eye of Re; hawk-headed Khonsu-Neferhotep; and Horus of Edfu, crowned with the double crown. They face a standing male figure who wears the double crown and extends two unguent jars in offering. The cartouches before him remain blank, an omission that points to a period of political upheaval and rapid dynastic change. A winged sun-disc spans the arch above, while a single line of text runs along the base, asking the gods to grant life and health to Pa-Wept-Nakht.
Stelae served as the principal medium through which ancient Egyptians addressed the divine, recording decrees, honoring the dead and commemorating events in permanent stone. Comparable examples anchor the Egyptian holdings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Princeton University Art Museum.
17 1/2" high x 16 1/4" wide x 2 3/4" deep (44.45 x 41.28 x 6.99 cm)
Provenance:
Private collection, London
Private collection, Boston
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Late Ptolemaic Period, circa 2nd-1st century BCE
This limestone stela was carved during the Late Ptolemaic Period, circa the 2nd-1st century BCE, in the twilight of pharaonic Egypt. Commissioned for Pa-Wept-Nakht, son of Pa-Di-Wesir, it survives fully intact with traces of its original polychromy, a condition rarely encountered in stelae of this age.
Its inscriptions repeatedly invoke "Thebes of the North," a religious center the British Museum identified in its 1981 translation as Tell el-Balamun in the northeastern Delta. The museum noted that this is an understudied and fascinating site and that very few objects can be connected to it, making this stela a considerable rarity.
Five deities are featured beneath the round top, each identified by hieroglyphic text: Amun-Re, lord of the thrones of the Two Lands; Mut, mistress of Isheru; lion-headed Sekhmet, the eye of Re; hawk-headed Khonsu-Neferhotep; and Horus of Edfu, crowned with the double crown. They face a standing male figure who wears the double crown and extends two unguent jars in offering. The cartouches before him remain blank, an omission that points to a period of political upheaval and rapid dynastic change. A winged sun-disc spans the arch above, while a single line of text runs along the base, asking the gods to grant life and health to Pa-Wept-Nakht.
Stelae served as the principal medium through which ancient Egyptians addressed the divine, recording decrees, honoring the dead and commemorating events in permanent stone. Comparable examples anchor the Egyptian holdings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Princeton University Art Museum.
17 1/2" high x 16 1/4" wide x 2 3/4" deep (44.45 x 41.28 x 6.99 cm)
Provenance:
Private collection, London
Private collection, Boston
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Read Less
Specifications
| Period: | Ancient |
| Type: | Antiquities |
| Depth: | 2.75 in. (6.99 cm) |
| Width: | 16.25 in. (41.28 cm) |
| Height: | 17.5 in. (44.45 cm) |
Buy With Confidence
For over a century, we've placed important art, rare jewels and exceptional objects with more than 14,000 collectors worldwide, and have been recognized by trusted publications including Robb Report, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and more.
On Approval
Examine select works in person before you commit
125% Guarantee
Full credit plus 5% annual appreciation for five years
Trusted Expertise
Over two centuries of combined experience across our specialists
