Egyptian. <em>Relief of the Theban Divine Family</em>, ca. 710–670 B.C.E. Sandstone, 28 15/16 x 31 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (73.5 x 79 x 4.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 87.184.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 87.184.1_87.184.2_SL1.jpg)

Egyptian. Relief of the Theban Divine Family, ca. 710–670 B.C.E. Sandstone, 28 15/16 x 31 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (73.5 x 79 x 4.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 87.184.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 87.184.1_87.184.2_SL1.jpg)

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What is going on here?

These two fragments come from a larger scene showing formalized interactions between the Theban Divine Family which is made up of the the god Amun (who was very important in Thebes and throughout Egypt), his wife, Mut, the goddess of the earth, and their son Khonsu, the god of the moon.

Also included in the scenes is a woman named Amunirdis I who held the title God's Wife of Amun. This was an extremely high ranking position often held by royal women. The function of the position was similar to that of a high priestess.

Is the man sitting on the throne a king? What is his name?

That is a good guess, but he is actually a god called Amun who was very important during this time period in in Egyptian history.

I though the lady was a queen because she is wearing a crown, but the label says she is a priestess?

Great observation! The woman you photographed actually represents the goddess Mut. Gods and goddesses are often shown wearing crowns too.

The woman all the way to the right is a priestess and a princess! She held the title "God's Wife of Amun," which is kind of like a high priestess. She was also the daughter of the pharaoh and by working in the Temple of Amun, she served as a link between the temple and the king.

And the goddess is wearing the crown from the Upper and Lower kingdoms?

Mut is indeed wearing the double crown.

Amun is wearing the double plumed crown which is specific to the god Amun.

So the priestess looks like she's talking to the king?

That's correct! Or, not the king, the god Amun, who is shown here like a king. She is presenting him with an offering of a small statue of the goddess Maat. That's what she has in her hand.

Why did Egyptians choose the two dimensional way of representing bodies?

They show two dimensional bodies as if you're are seeing them from multiple angles. At the core this is the fact that official art in ancient Egypt was more about communication than realism.

Bodies were shown as if they were facing multiple direction because that way more of the body could be depicted. It was a more "complete" image.

I’m a college student researching for a paper on the temple of Karnak in Egypt. What pieces do you have from Karnak or Thebes on display?

We actually have a relief of the Theban Divine Family on the third floor! The blocks are attributed to Karnak based on their similarity to the decoration of other chapels there. They're in the 19th Dynasty to Roman period gallery.

Thanks! Found it and more.

You're welcome! The relief we mentioned ties into a really interesting time in Egyptian history, when the Kushite pharaohs would appoint their daughters to religious roles in order to maintain a close relationship between the priests of Amun and the kingship.

Relief of the Theban Divine Family

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

The relief on the right depicts the God's Wife of Amun Amunirdis I ,making an offering of Ma'at to the god Amun-Re. Behind Amun-Re stands Khonsu, his son by his chief consort Mut. These three divinities comprise the divine family of the Theban region.

The relief on the left shows Amun-Re and Mut. Because the two scenes are comparable though reversed, it seems likely that Amun-Re and Mut faced another God's Wife of Amun. The shallow sunk relief and the treatment of the faces are typical of Twenty-fifth Dynasty reliefs found on the small chapels in Thebes.

CULTURE Egyptian

MEDIUM Sandstone

Possible Place Made: Thebes (Karnak), Egypt

DATES ca. 710–670 B.C.E.

DYNASTY late Dynasty 25

PERIOD Third Intermediate Period

DIMENSIONS 28 15/16 x 31 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (73.5 x 79 x 4.5 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 87.184.2

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Fragmentary sandstone slab with decoration in sunk relief. To the left, and facing left, are a seated figure of Amun-Re and a standing figure of Mut. Both are accompanied by utterance statements. One of the latter makes a reference to its recipient with the feminine singular, and the same is true of the column of text behind the deities and oriented with them: dd mdw di.n () n.t ‘nh w3s nb 3wt-ib nb mi R’ dt. This column of text is backed by a similar column of text facing right, which indicates that a related scene with opposite orientation once came to the right. Condition: (see detailed report in VF). Left end of slab missing. Two areas of repair with overpaint. One is in and around the lower half of the figure of Amun-Re, which explains the fact that the lower pronged terminal for his scepter is missing. The other repair is in the upper part of the two columns of text to the right. Traces of blue pigment in some hieroglyphs. Traces of white (with some blue along left edge) pigment in Mut’s dress. Traces of red pigment on Mut’s crown and in male figure. Other scratches, chips & incrustations.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view on the 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Egyptian. Relief of the Theban Divine Family, ca. 710–670 B.C.E. Sandstone, 28 15/16 x 31 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (73.5 x 79 x 4.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 87.184.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 87.184.1_87.184.2_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE 87.184.1_87.184.2_SL1.jpg.

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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