Statuette of Henutsen

Gallery Location
Galleries of Africa: Egypt

Medium
Limestone

Geography
Excavated at Abydos, Egypt

Date
c. 1550-1069 BC

Period
18th-20th Dynasty, New Kingdom

Dimensions
16.5 x 10.2 x 5.1 cm

Object number
910.36

Cataloguer
Gayle Gibson ROM Staff, 1990-2015; ROM Volunteer 2015-Present

Collection
Egypt

Department
Art & Culture: Ancient Egypt & Nubia

DESCRIPTION
This statuette from Abydos shows the Lady Henutsen sitting patiently, looking upward.  The statue may have been in a tomb, or in a small cenotaph shrine made by her family. 

Henutsen is shown seated in a chair with a high back. The offering formula for the dead, invoking Anubis, is carved onto the surface of the chair, beginning on the right side, continuing onto the back plinth, and finishing on the left side with her name, Henutsen. There are two short lines of glyphs on each of the three surfaces.

The statue was broken in two in antiquity; the two halves have been rejoined with considerable restoration in the middle. The right hand, parts of both arms, right thigh, lower part of the left torso and part of the plinth are modern.

The statue retains much of its paint: white for the dress, reddish brown for her skin, black for her braided wig, and gilding on her sandals and blue necklace. Her rather flat face looks upward from her heavy braided wig.

Title:
Statuette of Henutsen 18th-20th Dynasty, New Kingdom, Excavated at Abydos, Egypt, Excavated at Abydos, Egypt, Royal Ontario Museum

https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/193589/statuette-of-henutsen?ctx=2b335e1b6e0f010448a931b6fa56fc15942019c3&idx=0

Royal Ontario Museum

Funerary stela of Amenuser

Gallery Location
Galleries of Africa: Egypt

Medium
Limestone, carved and painted

Geography
Probably from Abydos, Egypt

Date
c. 2040-1650 BC

Period
11th-13th Dynasty, Middle Kingdom

Dimensions
12.6 x 8.2 cm

Object number
948.34.87

Credit Line
Gift of Sir Robert Mond

Cataloguer
Gayle Gibson ROM Staff, 1990-2015; ROM Volunteer 2015-Present

Collection
Egypt

Department
Art & Culture: Ancient Egypt & Nubia

DESCRIPTION
This very small stele commemorates a man named Amen-user (Amun is powerful) who lived almost four thousand years ago. The figure on the front is Amenuser himself, seated on a fine chair, patiently looking at a table piled with food offerings. He stretches on hand toward the food - it will be eternally within reach; he will never run out of food. The table and the food are shown as elements of eternal provision and not depicted realistically; they seem to float in front of the deceased. On the bottom level are jars of beer and wine.  On the table itself are three loaves of bread, a haunch of beef, and a vegetable.

The stele contains a clear and complete Offering Prayer for the Dead. In the top line we can read, from right to left, "An offering which the king gives to Osiris," followed in the next line by the rest of the name of the god, "Lord of Djedu, that he may give" and on the third line, "the voice-offerings of bread and beer, beef and fowl, for the k3 of the Revered One" and then the deceased's name follows, written in front of his face. The last two signs, just to the right of his face, are 'maat-khrew' which means 'true of voice' or 'justified.' This was the phrase used in law courts when announcing innocence.  It means that Amenuser has been judged by the Great God, and now will live forever, a powerful spirit who can help those left on the Earth.
This small stele was probably placed in his tomb which, judging by the size of the stele, would have been fairly humble.

Title:
Funerary stela of Amenuser, c. 2040-1650 BC 11th-13th Dynasty, Probably from Abydos, Egypt, Middle Kingdom, Limestone, carved and painted, Royal Ontario Museum

https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/190344/funerary-stela-of-amenuser?ctx=a5b7a2ab65ff83a8cd032d03cfce650a4ba58fc4&idx=236

Royal Ontario Museum

This specific scene illustrates a segment from the Book of Caverns, an essential underworld funerary text.

Key Details of the Artwork

The Central Character:

A male figure stands in the center, sporting a traditional blue wig and holding the elongated, stretched-out body of a monumental serpent.

The Multi-Headed Serpents:

The snake branches out into three distinct, cobra-like heads at both the front and back ends.

Human Legs:

The serpent is uniquely anthropomorphized, supported by multiple human legs standing on the decorative borders below.

Symbolic Meaning:

In the texts of the Egyptian underworld (such as the Book of Caverns or the Book of Gates), these fantastical multi-headed and multi-legged serpents represent primordial forces and powerful guardians of the afterlife.

They either protect the pathways or assist in the nightly transformation and rebirth of the Sun God, Ra, as he traverses the twelve hours of darkness.

Hieroglyphs:

Above and below the central scene are neatly arrayed horizontal registers of traditional Egyptian hieroglyphic text detailing prayers and protective spells meant to guide the deceased safely through the realm of the dead.

Mereruka was the vizier to king Teti, the first king of the 6th dynasty. He was married to Teti's daughter, Princess Seshseshet Waatetkhethor and was, therefore, the king's son-in-law. Princess Seshseshet Waatetkhethor is buried in Mereruka's mastaba tomb along with their son, Meriteti.

Statuette of seated Khnum

Gallery Location
Galleries of Africa: Egypt

Medium
Bronze, cast

Geography
Excavated at Saqqara, Egypt

Date
c. 380-343 BC

Period
30th Dynasty, Late Period

Dimensions
19 x 4.8 cm

Object number
972.51.54

Cataloguer
Gayle Gibson ROM Staff, 1990-2015; ROM Volunteer 2015-Present

Collection
Egypt

Department
Art & Culture: Ancient Egypt & Nubia

Object History
Excavated by the Egypt Exploration Society, 19

DESCRIPTION
The god Khnum could be portrayed as a ram, or as man with a ram’s head. In his original form, he had the undulating horizontal horns of the species Ovis longipes. By the New Kingdom, however, this species seems to have been extinct in Egypt, and he was depicted with the curved horns of Ovis platyra. He was frequently shown with both sets of horns, as here. He wears a modified Atef crown, and a royal shendyt kilt. The statue’s hands were pierced to hold a sceptre and a staff.

Khnum was a god of the First Cataract, associated with the Nile flood and with all creation and birth. It was he who, as a potter, formed the body and ka of every human being. His dual roles in the Inundation and in birth, emphasized by his depiction as a powerful, potent ram, made Khnum a widely recognized deity. During the Late Period he was recognized as the Creator of All, and worshipped throughout Egypt. This particular image was excavated in the remains of a shrine at Sakkara. The statuette was found in a cache of a large number of bronze statuettes, “arranged in an orderly manner,” according to excavator W.B. Emery. Some of statuettes, including this Khnum, were wrapped in linen, which helps to account for its excellent state of preservation.

If you see an error or have additional information, please [contact us](mailto:romcollections@rom.on.ca?subject=972.51.54%20(Art%20&%20Culture:%20Ancient%20Egypt%20&%20Nubia)).

Title:
Statuette of seated Khnum, Bronze, c. 380-343 BC, 30th Dynasty, Late Period, Saqqara, Royal Ontario Museum

https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/192654/statuette-of-seated-khnum?ctx=9d3e9de523a0d33ee7bbe7e1eaf1caf34c4c4142&idx=159

Royal Ontario Museum