Stela of Irethoreru
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
Beneath the wings of Horus the Behdetite, a manifestation of the solar god often found on stelae, or commemorative tablets, Irethoreru, at the right, makes an offering to the god of the underworld, Osiris, and his wife, Isis. The different shades of the stone have been successfully exploited for aesthetic purposes. Though the style of the representations is drawn from earlier periods, textual details suggest a Twenty-fifth Dynasty date.
MEDIUM
Syenite
DATES
ca. 775–653 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
Dynasty 25
PERIOD
Third Intermediate Period
DIMENSIONS
20 x 14 x 5 11/16 in. (50.8 x 35.5 x 14.5 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
07.422
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Alfred T. White and George C. Brackett
PROVENANCE
Archaeological provenance not yet documented; by 1907, acquired by Alfred Treadway White of Brooklyn, NY and George C. Brackett of Brooklyn, NY; July 1907, gift of Alfred Treadway White and George C. Brackett to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Black syennite (?) funerary stela of i’r.t-hr-i’r.w set up by his wife i’n-imn-n3y-nb.w. Above, in sunk relief, winged sun disk below which deceased makes offerings to Osiris and Isis. Eight lines of text.
Condition: Excellent. Small fragment missing from left edge - otherwise perfect. Excellent workmanship.
CAPTION
Egyptian. Stela of Irethoreru, ca. 775–653 B.C.E. Syenite, 20 x 14 x 5 11/16 in. (50.8 x 35.5 x 14.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Alfred T. White and George C. Brackett, 07.422. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.07.422_wwg8.jpg)
IMAGE
installation, West Wing gallery 8 installation,
CUR.07.422_wwg8.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.
What is happening here?
At the top of the Stela of Irethoreru, you can see Osiris (the main figure on top of a pedestal) being praised by the individual on the right, Irethoreru. The table in between them holds offerings. Behind Osiris is another deity, his wife, the goddess Isis.
Can I get more info about this piece?
The Stela of Irethoreru was designed for his tomb. Irethoreru can be seen all the way to the right wearing a long kilt of a high ranking official and making a gesture of worship towards Osiris and Isis. The tables between them hold offerings of food from the deceased to the gods.
