Funerary Stela of Thenet
1 of 5
Object Label
Both of these stelae depict a woman entering the afterlife and approaching or worshipping a god or gods who control entrance to the next world. Both women have yellow skin representing the golden skin of a goddess, thereby indicating that they have resumed their original gender after rebirth and entered the afterlife as women. Gender transformation has ended for them.
Details of these stelae reveal the gods who control entrance to the next world. In Stela of the Lady of the House, Hery-ib-Neith, the deceased is led by the god Thoth, who guides her into the presence of the other gods. Here she meets Rehorakhty (a form of Horus) as well as the goddesses Isis and Nephthys. Isis raised her son Horus with the help of her sister Nephthys. This scene suggests that the deceased, too, is tended by these goddesses after her rebirth.
Stela of the Lady of the House and Singer, Thenet, depicts another step in the entrance process: Thenet raises her hands in worship to Rehorakhty.
Caption
Funerary Stela of Thenet, ca. 945–712 B.C.E.. Wood, stucco, pigment, 10 1/8 x 8 1/4 in. (25.7 x 21 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1385E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.1385E_PS4.jpg)
Title
Funerary Stela of Thenet
Date
ca. 945–712 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 22 (probably)
Period
Third Intermediate Period
Geography
Reportedly from: Thebes, Egypt
Medium
Wood, stucco, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
10 1/8 x 8 1/4 in. (25.7 x 21 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.1385E
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
What is the significance of the bird head? I see so many of them! Why a bird?
In this particular case, what you're seeing is a version of the god Horus known as Re-Horakhty. Horus is usually depicted a a falcon-headed man and was a symbol of kingship over all Egypt. The sun disk on his head, here, identifies him as Re-Horakhty who was closely associated with the cycles of the sun.Because they can fly, birds were associated with the sky and celestial bodies. The name Horus is even derived form words meaning high or above.Thanks!Tell me more.
This stela belongs to a woman named Thenet, she is depicted on the right wearing a white linen dress and a fragrant cone on her head. Her arms are raised in praise as she makes offerings to the god Re-Horakhty while on her journey to the afterlife.What did ancient Egyptians use for paint brushes? I often find myself marveling at the delicate line quality they achieved.
I agree, the linework they achieved was extraordinary! One of the most common tools used in ancient Egypt was reed brushes.Thanks!What god is this?
This is Re-horakhty, he's like a combination of Re and Horus. Here, Thenet (the woman on the right) is giving him offerings so that he will help her on her journey to the afterlife.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at