Relief of Amun, Ahmose-Nefertari, and King Amunhotep I
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Object Label
This private stela depicts Queen Ahmose- Nefertari with her son—the second king of the Eighteenth Dynasty—Amunhotep I, and the god Amun seated. Ahmose-Nefertari held the important title of God’s Wife of Amun. Because Amun was believed to be the father of the ruling pharaoh,Amunhotep I and his mother comprised the god’s earthly family. Both Ahmose-Nefertari and Amunhotep I were widely worshipped at Thebes in the Eighteenth Dynasty and for many centuries thereafter. So popular was a festival dedicated to Amunhotep I that the seventh month was named for it in both Coptic and Arabic.
Caption
Relief of Amun, Ahmose-Nefertari, and King Amunhotep I, ca. 1295–1190 B.C.E.. Limestone, pigment, 30 13/16 x 24 1/8 x 2 7/16 in. (78.3 x 61.2 x 6.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.226.25. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.86.226.25_NegD_print_bw.jpg)
Title
Relief of Amun, Ahmose-Nefertari, and King Amunhotep I
Date
ca. 1295–1190 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 19
Period
New Kingdom
Geography
Possible place collected: Thebes, Egypt
Medium
Limestone, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
30 13/16 x 24 1/8 x 2 7/16 in. (78.3 x 61.2 x 6.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.
Accession Number
86.226.25
Rights
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.
Frequent Art Questions
What is a stela -- private or public ?
A stela is a blanket term for any upright stone or wooden slab with a design, illustration or writing on it. This stela which depicts Queen Ahmose-Nefertari and the god Amun was private. Private in this context usually means that it was owned by a private individual and not a royal (ie public) figure. Though there are many examples of royal stelae in our collection.Do you know what the sign in her hand is symbolizing?
That symbol is an ankh, the ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for "life."Thank you!
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