Sujet
Stele of the High Priest of Ptah, Shedsunefertem, 945-924 BC. Creator: Unknown.
Légende
Stele of the High Priest of Ptah, Shedsunefertem, 945-924 BC. This stele of Shedsunefertem, the High Priest of Ptah, is rich in religious symbolism. In the center of the top register is a disk and crescent, originally gilded. At either side a baboon raises its arms in adoration. The Egyptians believed that the jabbering of the baboons at dawn was a hymn of praise to the sun god Ra in a secret language only the king understood. It begins, "Praising Ra when he shines on the horizon." Directly below in the middle register a child god is seated on a lotus flower. In Egyptian mythology the sun arose out of the primeval waters at the dawn of creation in a lotus flower. Winged figures of Maat, goddess of Truth, stand protectively at either side. The damaged figure of the high priest himself, wearing the panther skin and jackal-collar of his office, appears at the far right, worshipping the god Ptah, whose consort, the lioness-headed goddess Sekhmet, appears on the far left. The figures in the bottom register are colleagues who appear here as dependents under the powerful high priest's protection.
Crédit
Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art
Notre référence
HRM19G08_025
Model release
NA
Property release
NA
Licence
Droits gérés
Format disponible
71,0Mo (8,2Mo) / 39,9cm x 44,5cm / 4718 x 5260 (300dpi)