Ostracon depicting Ramesses IX offering Maat, attributed to the chief draftsman Amenhotep
Ostraca (plural for ostracon) are potsherds used as surfaces for writing or drawing. By extension, the term is applied to chips of limestone which were employed for similar purposes. Figural ostraca vary from sketches of a single feature to polychrome painted compositions. They were used to practice drawing, draft compositions, and copy scenes. However, some ostraca were created for more durable functions, used as cult images in religious practice and deposited at tombs or shrines as sites of access to the divine. Ostraca on which animals appear acting as humans have been variously interpreted as playful jokes, political satire, or illustrations to fables or myths in the oral tradition.
This ostracon shows two examples of Ramesses IX offering to a deity, as found in royal tomb and temple contexts. On one side, he is depicted offering Maat, wearing the blue crown, uraeus, and broad collar. On the other, he wears the double feathered crown and uraeus, and offers a pot.
This ostracon shows two examples of Ramesses IX offering to a deity, as found in royal tomb and temple contexts. On one side, he is depicted offering Maat, wearing the blue crown, uraeus, and broad collar. On the other, he wears the double feathered crown and uraeus, and offers a pot.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ostracon depicting Ramesses IX offering Maat, attributed to the chief draftsman Amenhotep
- Period: New Kingdom, Ramesside Period
- Dynasty: Dynasty 20
- Reign: reign of Ramesses IX
- Date: ca. 1126–1108 BCE
- Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Valley of the Kings, Davis excavations, 1913
- Medium: Limestone, ink
- Dimensions: H. 15 × W. 14.5 cm (5 7/8 × 5 11/16 in.)
- Credit Line: Gift of Theodore M. Davis, 1914
- Object Number: 14.6.215
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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ca. 1479–1458 B.C.
ca. 1479–1458 B.C.
ca. 1186–1070 B.C.
ca. 1279–1213 B.C.
1327–1295 BC
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