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Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.74.2_PS1.jpg)
Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.74.2_PS1.jpg)
Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.74.2_PS1.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.74.2_PS1.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.74.2.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.74.2.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.74.2_bw.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.74.2_bw.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail01_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail01_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail02_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail02_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail03_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail03_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail04_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail04_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail05_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail05_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail06_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail06_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail07_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_detail07_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_view1_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_view1_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_view2_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (in collaboration with Index of Christian Art, Princeton University), CUR.69.74.2_view2_ICA.jpg)

Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.69.74.2_unearthing_coptic.jpg)

Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.69.74.2_unearthing_coptic.jpg)

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Stela of Tsanna

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

These two Christian stelae, made after the Arabs conquered Egypt in 642 c.e., reflect new styles from the East. The larger example (71.39.1), which has lost its top section, would have decorated a tomb wall much like the woven wall hangings in homes. Here, exuberant vegetal motifs almost submerge the small crosses. The round-topped stela (69.74.2), which has two lionlike animals in Eastern style and no Christian symbols at all, was made for a woman whose name, Suzanna, indicates that she was Christian. Her father’s name, Pachons, suggest that he was not Christian, a possibility that may explain the lack of Christian imagery here.
This text refers to these objects: 69.74.2; 71.39.1
CULTURE Coptic
MEDIUM Limestone, pigment
  • Place Found: Esna, Egypt
    • DATES 8th century C.E.
    PERIOD Umayyad Period to Tulunid Period
    DIMENSIONS 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm)  (show scale)
    INSCRIPTIONS Epitaph in Coptic, "Tsanna [Suzanne] (daughter of) Pachôns," as translated by the Index of Christian Art.
    COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 69.74.2
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Coptic. Stela of Tsanna, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.74.2_PS1.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 69.74.2_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2008
    "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
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    Coptic. <em>Stela of Tsanna</em>, 8th century C.E. Limestone, pigment, 17 11/16 x 13 3/8 x 3 5/16 in. (45 x 34 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.74.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.74.2_PS1.jpg)

    TAGS

    animal
    dog
    stone
    tablet
    carvings
    coptic
    round-topped stela
    round
    limestone
    8th century
    engraved
    braid
    shell
    animals
    Stela
    Christian
    Arab Influence
    Red paint traces
    Esna
    8th century C.E.

    TAGS

    animal
    dog
    stone
    tablet
    carvings
    coptic
    round-topped stela
    round
    limestone
    8th century
    engraved
    braid
    shell
    animals
    Stela
    Christian
    Arab Influence
    Red paint traces
    Esna
    8th century C.E.

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