Block Statue of the Scribe of Divine Offerings, Tjaenwaset, son of Harsiese

Late Period, Kushite–Saite

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 125

Tjaenwaset belonged to an illustrious family of priests and viziers at Thebes: his father Horsiese, grandfather Horkheb, and great-grandfather Horsiese are named on the statue.

Tjaenwaset's front panel depicts him worshiping the Osiris fetish. The prominent position of the motif, which more often occurs on the sides of block statues, may be connected with the role of his son, Pediese the donor of the statue, as a priest of Osiris the Coptite who figures in the complex of Osiris shrines attached to Karnak. These shrines played a part in reenactments of Osiris's resurrection at Karnak temple. From the late New Kingdom onward, the cult of Osiris was increasingly intertwined with every aspect of religious practice.

Block Statue of the Scribe of Divine Offerings, Tjaenwaset, son of Harsiese, Dolerite

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