By 1871, the museum had gained over 174 European paintings
From 1874 to 1876, the museum gained its reputation as a great archive for great relics by purchasing the Censola Collection of Cypriot art.
Today, the museum hosts a huge amount of works of art from a multitude of different cultures.
The museum’s building today is over two million square feet long
(“History of the Museum”)
For this project, I will be covering the Stela of Senu, located in the museum’s Egyptian wing.
Artist is unknown
Dated to circa 1390-1352 B.C.E.
Made during the reign of Amenhotep III
From Middle Egypt (Tuna el-Gebel)
Made of Limestone
75 cm …show more content…
There are two registers, the one closest to the top being the main focus of this piece; the scribe Senu. (“Stele of Senu”)
The figure standing at the right end of the piece was a royal scribe named Senu.
He is portrayed as honoring the gods Imsety (middle) and Hapi (left)
We can tell he is honoring them, because he shows a formal frontility, facing the gods.
These were two of the four sons of the Egyptian god Horus, in charge of guarding organs removed after mummification. (“Stela of Senu”)
All of his sons were tasked with the duties of mummification. (Ancient Egypt: The Mythology)
The figure at the bottom is Senu’s son, Pawahy, who “recites the funerary prayer inscribed in front of him.” (“Stela of Senu”)
Besides the main focus of the piece being at the top, the stela also shows a hierarchy of scale.
The gods Hapi and Imesty along with Senu himself are a great deal larger than the priest Pawahy, located in the bottom