Art Institute of Chicago

Stela (Commemorative Stone) Depicting the Funeral of Ramose

Egyptian; Probably Armant or Thebes (now Luxor), Egypt

Date

New Kingdom, Dynasty 19, reign of Ramesses II (about 1279–1213 BCE)

Medium

Sandstone and pigment

Culture

Egypt

Department

Arts of Africa

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Ancient Egyptians used mummification and ritual to transform the body into a new entity called a sah, a crucial step in preparing the deceased for life after death. A ceremony called the Opening of the Mouth, depicted here, was a pivotal step in the process. As the name suggests, the rite restored function to the deceased’s mouth, allowing them to eat and drink in the afterlife. At the right end of this scene, a jackal-headed figure holds Ramose’s anthropoid (human-shaped) coffin upright. A pair of priests in front of the coffin burn incense and pour libations, while a third recites sacred texts from a papyrus scroll.

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