Stela of Maaty and Dedwi
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
The sculptor who carved this colorful funerary stela of the official Maaty and his wife, Dedwi, lived during the First Intermediate Period. At this time, the centralized royal government of the Old Kingdom had given way to local rulers, isolating provincial artists from the artistic traditions of the royal court. They developed local styles which, as on this stela, tended to be simple but lively.
MEDIUM
Limestone, pigment
DATES
ca. 2170–2008 B.C.E.
PERIOD
First Intermediate Period
DIMENSIONS
28 7/16 x 20 1/2 x 2 1/16 in. (72.3 x 52.1 x 5.3 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
39.1
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
PROVENANCE
Archaeological provenance not yet documented, probably from Naga ed-Deir, Egypt; by 1939, acquired by Dikran Kelekian of New York, NY; 1939, purchased from Dikran Kelekian by the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Limestone funerary stela of Maat (?) and his wife Ddwi (Ddwy), brilliantly painted mainly in red, pale green and yellow. Oblong, vertical form with conventional border on sides of painted oblongs and on top a border of similar panels with rounded tops. The lower part of the stela is occupied by Maat standing with a plain staff before a conventional group of offerings. Behind him stands his wife. The upper part of the stela is occupied by five lines of hieroglyphs. Below these and directly over the woman are three short columns of hieroglyphs.
Translation of the five lines: 1) An offering which the King gives, (and) Anubis upon his mountain, 2) who is in the place of embalming, lord of the necropolis in all his beautiful 3) places; funerary offerings of bread and beer (?) for the Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, Sole Companion, 4) Overseer of the Prison (or fortress), M3c.t. Beloved of 5) his lord, who does what his lord praises every day, 6) His beloved wife, Sole Royal Ornament, Dd.w.”.
CAPTION
Stela of Maaty and Dedwi, ca. 2170–2008 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 28 7/16 x 20 1/2 x 2 1/16 in. (72.3 x 52.1 x 5.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 39.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.1_reference_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 39.1_reference_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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Does the large angular size of his skirt have any significance?
The large angular kilt is common in Egyptian iconography. It is the kilt of an official and therefore helps to indicate Maaty's status.
You'll see this type of kilt all through the galleries in reliefs and statues. Likely clothing never did this in real life but Egyptians never the less continue to depict it.
My daughter wants to know what materials were used to make the different colors.
The colors in ancient Egyptian paintings are from minerals! Black would be from carbon, reds could be from ochre or iron oxides, green from malachite. It's so cool that we can still see the colors on objects that are thousands of years old!
Are the hieroglyphs colored for gender too?
In general, they are not. These hieroglyphs seem to be colored randomly, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the same signs appear in different colors within this inscription. The heavily faded blue and green shades have little to do with gender.
