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Funerary cone of Padi-Neith
Egyptian
Late Period, Dynasty 26–30
688–332 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Pottery
Dimensions
Length x diameter: 10.4 x 10.8 cm (4 1/8 x 4 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Hay Collection—Gift of C. Granville Way
Accession NumberRES.72.295
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsArchitectural elements
Catalogue Raisonné
Davies & MacAdam 391
DescriptionFunerary cone of pinkish-buff clay with large portion of tapering cone element broken off. Head end carries a circular stamp with four divided rows of hieroglyphic text identifyig the owner.
Translation of text:
Prince, Mayor
Overseer of the Treasury of the Divine Adoratrice P(a)di-Neith,
True-of-Voice son of the God's Beloved Psam-tik,
True-of-Voice, begotten of the Lord of the House
[////], True-of-Voice
Transliteration:
iry-pa.t HAty-a
imy-r pr-wr n dwAt-nTr P(A)-di
Nt mAa.t xrw sA n mry-nTr Psm-
Tk mAa.t (sic) xrw nb-pr
[////] mAa xrw
Funerary cones were components of a frieze, inserted above the doors of private tombs, particularly in the Theban region. They have been variously interpreted as: name-plates of sorts to identify the tomb owner, decorative memorials, boundary markers for a tomb, dummy bread loaves or meat offerings, symbolic roof beams, or (for the visible circular head) depictions of the sun disk.
Davies and Macadam, A Corpus of Inscribed Egyptian Funerary Cones (1957), type #391.
Translation of text:
Prince, Mayor
Overseer of the Treasury of the Divine Adoratrice P(a)di-Neith,
True-of-Voice son of the God's Beloved Psam-tik,
True-of-Voice, begotten of the Lord of the House
[////], True-of-Voice
Transliteration:
iry-pa.t HAty-a
imy-r pr-wr n dwAt-nTr P(A)-di
Nt mAa.t xrw sA n mry-nTr Psm-
Tk mAa.t (sic) xrw nb-pr
[////] mAa xrw
Funerary cones were components of a frieze, inserted above the doors of private tombs, particularly in the Theban region. They have been variously interpreted as: name-plates of sorts to identify the tomb owner, decorative memorials, boundary markers for a tomb, dummy bread loaves or meat offerings, symbolic roof beams, or (for the visible circular head) depictions of the sun disk.
Davies and Macadam, A Corpus of Inscribed Egyptian Funerary Cones (1957), type #391.
ProvenanceBy 1836: Robert Hay Collection, Linplum, Scotland; 1863: to his son, Robert James Alexander Hay; 1868-1872: Way Collection, Boston (purchased by Samuel A. Way through London dealers Rollin and Feuardent, 27 Haymarket); 1872: given to the MFA by Samuel's son, C. Granville Way.
(Accession Date: June 28, 1872)
(Accession Date: June 28, 1872)