Relief, tomb of Khety: sacred emblems
Middle Kingdom
These fragments are the remains of a representation of the age-old symbol of Abydos, pilgrimage place for the god Osiris. The emblem consists of a cone-shaped element at the center that is bound at the upper and lower end with a ribbon and adorned with a feather or two on top. On both sides, cobras emerge from the stem of the cone, defending the emblem with their raised shields and venom-spewing mouths. The emblem rests on the ground in a semicircular foot.
There were evidently at least two of these sacred objects on Khety’s walls because the snake body on the fragment at left was clearly executed by a different artist than the one on the right.
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