Egypt, Late Period (664–332 B.C.)

Egypt, Late Period (664–332 B.C.): An arched stele made of stuccoed and painted wood with polychrome decoration. At the top of the stele, the solar disk with uraeus wraps its wings around the arch and encloses a frame containing a hieroglyphic inscription. Below this is a register of hieroglyphs, followed by a register depicting eight figures, with the one on the right facing deities, including the winged Isis in the center. Four registers of hieroglyphs adorn the lower part of the stele. Old labels bearing numbers and a word that is difficult to read are affixed to the stele: one beneath the solar disk, another at the bottom of the right side, and the last two on the back. 35 x 24 x 2 cm. (damage, minor losses, and some restored/repainted areas, including a strip extending from the figure on the right to the right wing of the sun) For comparison, see the stele dedicated to Re-Horakhty-Atum, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, no. H1574 (viewable online). Archaeological expert: Jean-Sylvain Caillou