Lintel Fragment Depicting Iniuia and Iuy Worshipping Deities
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun (about 1336–1327 BCE)
Medium
Limestone and pigment
Dimensions
24.8 × 71.1 × 10.8 cm (9 13/16 × 28 × 4 5/16 in.)
Classification
architectural fragment
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
121774
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This lintel fragment depicts a couple kneeling with their hands raised in an Egyptian gesture of praise, worshipping the funerary deities Osiris and Isis. It once crowned a doorway in the tomb chapel of Iniuia, a high-ranking official who served under King Tutankhamun, and his wife, Iuy. Hieroglyphs separating the couple from the gods state that they are praising Osiris so that he will give them the “sweet breath” they need to thrive in the afterlife. Ancient Egyptian religion required worshippe...
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....