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.