Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Stela of Senres and Hormose

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Stela of Senres and Hormose

Both this funerary stela and the adjacent one, illustrate a popular Dynasty 18 type. The rounded top represents the sun's path across the dome of the sky. A pair of wedjat-eyes—symbols of the sun and moon as well as of wholeness—frame a shen-ring, representing the sun's universal, cyclical course. The stela's owner Senres is shown sniffing a lotus, an emblem of eternal rebirth, while accepting food offerings. Senres's wife, Hormes, is depicted grasping his arm in a gesture of intimacy. The offering prayer below ends by stating that Hormes commissioned this stela for her husband.

• Medium: Limestone
• Place Made: Egypt
• Dates: ca. 1539-1425 B.C.E.
• Dynasty: XVIII Dynasty
• Period: New Kingdom
• Dimensions: 16 7/8 x 8 5/16 x 1 5/8 in. (42.9 x 21.1 x 4.2 cm)
• Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
• Accession Number: 07.420
• Credit Line: Museum Collection Fund
• Image: Overall, 07.420_transp103.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Stela of Senres and Hormose, ca. 1539-1425 B.C.E. Limestone, 16 7/8 x 8 5/16 x 1 5/8 in. (42.9 x 21.1 x 4.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund, 07.420 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 07.420_transp103.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: Round top limestone funerary stela of the attendant Sn(.j?)-rs'(.w) (Senresew) and his wife Hr-ms' (Hormes) seated before a small table of offerings. Five lines of hieroglyphic text below comprising conventional offering formula.