Stela of the Sculptor Qen worshipping Amenhotep I and Ahmose-Nefertari

New Kingdom, Ramesside

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 124

One of the select "servants in the Place of Truth," Qen was a member of the community of arts and craftsmen responsible for building and decorating the tombs of the New Kingdom pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings. This stela was found in 1862 in Qen's tomb at the workmen's village of Deir el-Medina. Qen's titles, as recorded on the stela, were "sculptor of Amun in the Place of Truth" and "sculptor of Amun in Karnak" suggesting that he specialized in carving relief.

In the lower register of the stela, Qen, his wife Nefertari, and their two sons, Merymery and Huy, are shown paying homage to the two seated figures above. These represent Amenhotep I, second king of Dynasty 18, and his mother Ahmose-Nefertari. By Dynasty 19, these two deified members of the royal family had become patrons of the Theban necropolis and especially of the workmen and their families.

Stela of the Sculptor Qen worshipping Amenhotep I and Ahmose-Nefertari, Limestone, paint

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Stela of the Sculptor Qen worshipping Amenhotep I and Ahmose-Nefertari, Limestone, paint
Stela of the Sculptor Qen worshipping Amenhotep I and Ahmose-Nefertari, Limestone, paint

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