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Christian Funerary Stele with Paradisiacal Motifs
Egyptian
Early Byzantine (Coptic) Period
6th–7th century A.D.
Object Place: Esna (Latopolis)
Medium/Technique
Limestone
Dimensions
Height x width: 58.5 x 42 cm (23 1/16 x 16 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Emily Esther Sears Fund
Accession Number04.1845
ClassificationsArchitectural elements – Stele
DescriptionAt the center of this stele’s composition is an eagle wearing a bulla with outstretched arm. He is set within a gable-roofed architectural setting. On either side of the columns are deer, looking in opposite directions and on either side of the roof are peacocks, looking toward each other. Below are two niches that frame crosses (the one on the left is badly damaged). These images are framed by a guilloche border that follows the rounded contour of the stele. The imagery presented here is meant to evoke paradise as described in contemporary texts. The original design would have been even more elaborate, with the addition of painting, which does not survive.
ProvenanceSaid to be from Esna. 1903: purchased for the MFA from Mohamed Mohassib, Luxor, Egypt by Albert M. Lythgoe as part of a group (04.1845-04.1848) for £21.
(Accession date: January 1, 1904)
(Accession date: January 1, 1904)