Brooklyn Museum: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Doorjamb of Thaasetimu

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Doorjamb of Thaasetimu

Painted raised relief was the normal mode of decoration on the inside of Egyptian tombs and temples. Here a tomb owner is shown in the embrace of the goddess Semset, a hippopotamus deity associated with the twelfth month of the year and with Renenutet and Taweret as a female divinity who intervenes on the occasion of birth. Some details in the text indicate that the "birth" at which she is present here is the rebirth of the owner in his tomb. The relief carving is of extremely high quality, but the painter seems to have been quite independent-minded, disregarding the contour lines when he detailed the costume.

Medium: Limestone
Place Found: Memphis, Egypt
Dates: ca. 381-362 B.C.E.
Dynasty: XXX Dynasty
Period: Late Period
Dimensions: 49 15/16 x 13 11/16 x 7 in. (126.8 x 34.7 x 17.8 cm)
Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
Accession Number: 56.152
Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Image: Overall, 56.152_negM_bw_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Doorjamb of Thaasetimu