Panel from a Hathor Column

The panel may have originally formed one of the four faces of a wooden Hathor column for a light open structure. The outer shrines of the divine naos on the river barques or processional barques of certain goddesses are sometimes depicted with columns having Hathor capitals. Other uses are certainly possible: although much earlier than this example, the New Kingdom tomb of Ipuy at Thebes depicts the construction of an openwork wooden catafalque for the deified king Amenhotep I that has a large Hathor emblem at the focus of what appears to be latticework (see 30.4.116).

Recent extension of the tree ring chronology reveals that this last preserved ring on this piece of wood dates to 423 BC. It is not possible to estimate how many rings might have been trimmed from the exterior before carving, but 423 BC serves as a useful approximate date for its creation.