Description
The hieroglyphs at the top of this stela (commemorative stone) fragment help identify the man depicted as Neferhotep, a foreman of the workers who built and decorated the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. Neferhotep, who is finely dressed in pleated white garments, raises his hands before him in a gesture of adoration toward the deity, who would have been depicted in the upper portion of the stone. Stelae such as this one allowed nonroyal Egyptians to demonstrate their devotion to the gods.
Provenance
Spink and Sons, Ltd., London; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1924.
Accession Number
12985
Medium
Limestone and pigment
Dimensions
38.5 × 23.8 × 5.8 cm (15 × 9 3/8 × 2 3/8 in.)
Classification
Stelae
Credit Line
Lois H. Culver Fund