Stela of Mentuwoser Essay - 696 Words

An Analysis of Stela of Mentuwoser The Stela of Mentuwoser is a piece of funerary art from the Middle Kingdom period that was given to Mentuwoser by King Senwosret for his loyal services. Mentuwoser had many accomplishments and was thought to be a man of the people. The Stela of Mentuwoser displays the respect people had for him and what he had done for the people of his nation. It also gives us a look into some of the traditions of his time. The Stela clearly expresses the amount of accomplishments Mentuwoser had achieved. The majority of the Stela of Mentuwoser is taken up by hieroglyphics. These hieroglyphics have been interpreted to be about all of the deeds he did for the people of Egypt. Some of the included accomplishments†¦show more content†¦Needless to say, the artist makes it pretty clear that the Stela is a tribute to Mentuwoser by making him the undeniable focal point of the image. The image shown also gives the viewer a glimpse into some of the traditions of th e days of the Middle Kingdom. The food served in the image is displayed vertically in order of the meal’s courses from bottom to top. It included many different food items including bread, ribs, and squash among a few more. It is likely that these items were common for feasts of this importance, giving us an idea of what foods were likely to be valuable or desired back in the Middle Kingdom. Secondly, in the inscriptions, the Stela makes it clear that the visual of Mentuwoser and the prayers that are written on the Stela are to give him nourishment and rebirth during annual festivals that honor Osiris. At these festivals, family members would visit and honor the stelae in the chapels they were displayed in. By using both visual and written commemoration, the Stela is able to reach those who were unable to read. Both factors give the viewer an enormous look into Egyptian tradition and religion, showing the importance of the afterlife in their culture and the respect they have for the dead. There are many features the artist uses to display the views the people of Mentuwoser’s time had for him. The last line of the inscriptions on the stela reads as follows: â€Å"†¦as you love life and hate death, as you want Foremost ofShow MoreRelatedAncient Egyptians On The Afterlife1653 Words   |  7 Pagesstelae was the Stela of the Steward Mentuwoser (figure 1), which depicted a funerary banquet to an honorary official during the second intermediate period of the twelve dynasty. Senusret I presented this painted limestone stela to Mentuwoser while he was alive in order to show his appreciation for his work, and to ensure him that the presence of his image during a festival would bring upon nourishment and rebirth of his ka, an individuals spiritual entity. Stela of Steward Mentuwoser is dated 1944Read MoreIn Ancient Egypt, stelas are either stone or wooden slabs used as a means of presenting a monument,2100 Words   |  9 PagesIn Ancient Egypt, stelas are either stone or wooden slabs used as a means of presenting a monument, usually for funerary purposes. They were also used as markers between territories. Stelas usually feature some sort of decoration and are carved in relief, either raised or sunken. Paint also was incorporated in some of these stelas and often featured hieroglyphics detailing the scene. In Egypt these stelas were primarily used as funerary ornaments, very much resembling tombstones. Looking from theRead MoreThe Reign Of Pepy I2085 Words   |  9 Pages2011, 96; O’Neil 2005, 21). In this period, the offering table scene is set on false door structures, on walls of the offering chapel, and on funerary and votive stelae placed at the tomb and along processional routes at Abydos (O’Neil 2005, 21). The Stela of the Gatekeeper Maati dates to Dynasty 11, in the late First Intermediate Period. Maati is shown seated at an offering table piled with offerings of reed shaped loaves, various cuts of meat including fish, goose, a cow’s leg and head, and other itemsRead MoreLouise Nevelson - Sky Cathedral2897 Words   |  12 Pagesof volume therein, between light and mass, generated comparisons to numerous different movements. The following paper will examine these links by discussing Nevelson’s work, Sky Cathedral (1982), in conversation with seven others: the Stela of Mentuwoser (ca. 1955 B.C.), the Grave Stele of a Little Girl (c. 450-440 B.C.), the Imperial Procession from the Ara Pacis Augustae (13-9 B.C.), the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons (ca. A.D. 260-270), Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel, 1913/1951, MoMA, Mondrian’s