Small Pyramid of a Woman
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
Reliefs on four sides of this small pyramid from a woman’s tomb depict basic aspects of Egyptian belief. The deceased worships Osiris in the niche and Re on the back, the two major gods connected to the afterlife. On the right side, a human-headed bird representing the ba-soul, which travels outside the tomb, perches on a djed-pillar, a symbol of rebirth. The deceased is followed by two demigods. On the left side, the gods Horus and Thoth perform part of the funeral purification ritual on the deceased’s mummy.
MEDIUM
Limestone, pigment
DATES
ca. 1185–718 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
Dynasty 20 to Dynasty 22
PERIOD
New Kingdom to Third Intermediate Period
DIMENSIONS
9 x 8 1/8 x 6 1/4 in., 19.5 lb. (22.9 x 20.6 x 15.9 cm, 8.85kg)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
05.336
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Large yellow limestone pyramidion belonging to a woman (name lost). Probably serving as the cap stone of her tomb.
Two columns of hieroglyphs on left side of front; in the depression on front; on the depression on front the deceased is shown worshipping seated Osiris. On the right side there is a Ded symbol surmounted by a Ba Bird. The rest of the side is occupied by the figure of the woman preceded and followed by two genii. The left side has a representation of Thoth and Horus pouring water over a mummy-form figure, presumably, the deceased. On the back the deceased is shown worshipping a seated figure of Nephthys or Nut with outstretched wings.
Condition: Upper left corner of front side badly chipped. Side worn and chipped, top chipped, entire piece chipped. On the left side considerable traces of red and black paint remain, especially on the Ded symbol.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Small Pyramid of a Woman, ca. 1185–718 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 9 x 8 1/8 x 6 1/4 in., 19.5 lb. (22.9 x 20.6 x 15.9 cm, 8.85kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.336. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 05.336_side2_PS1.jpg)
IMAGE
profile, side 2, 05.336_side2_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
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.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and
we welcome any additional information you might have.