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Christian Funerary Stele with Paradisical Motifs
Egyptian
Byzantine (Coptic) Period
7th-8th century A.D.
Medium/Technique
Limestone
Dimensions
Legacy dimension: .355 x .255
Credit Line
Emily Esther Sears Fund
Accession Number04.1847
ClassificationsArchitectural elements – Stele
DescriptionIn this round-toped stele, an eagle with a pendant around its neck, stands with wings outstretched within an architectural space delineated by two columns. Above, two animals frame a rosette medallion. While the general shape of the two animals mirror each other, the one on the right has no eye or mouth carved. A guilloche-patterned border frames the stele’s image field, below which is set a tabula ansata holding an inscription about the deceased. While the imagery of this stele is well-crafted, the inscription, in Coptic, has spelling mistakes and is executed with less finesse. The stele would have originally been painted and is from Esna (Latopolis).
Inscriptions† EIC ΘΕΟC O ΒΟΟΙΘWΝ POME ΝWOKE COUPOC TΗC Θ ΙΝΑΙK
Translation: One is God, the Helper! The grave (?). Souros (He died at the time of the) 9th indiction
Translation: One is God, the Helper! The grave (?). Souros (He died at the time of the) 9th indiction
ProvenanceSaid to be from Esna. 1903: purchased for the MFA from Mohamed Mohassib, Luxor, Egypt by Albert M. Lythgoe as part of a group (04.1845-04.1848) for £21. (Accession date: January 1, 1904)