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Source Description

The situla was a deluxe ritual vessel that played an important role in Egyptian religious ceremonies. The two scenes on this situla exemplify the dual roles of a pious Egyptian in the afterlife: receiving offerings from his family on the one hand and making offerings to the gods on the other. On one side of the vessel the deceased, Padiamennebnesuttawy ("He who Amen, lord of Karnak, gives"), sits in a low chair accompanied by his pet dog. The vertical, cross-shaped sign preceding the animal is his name, Nefer, meaning "good one" or "beautiful one." On the right, the deceased's eldest son, Amenhotep, makes offerings of incense and water to his father. On the other side the deceased demonstrates his piety by making an offering of round loaves of bread, vegetables, and meat to the gods. Opposite him are the gods who are the recipients of his offerings—Osiris, god of the dead; Horus, son of Isis; and Isis herself—each of whom wears elaborate beaded and feathered garments.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
113309
label
Decorated Situla
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
113309
contentType
object
title
Decorated Situla
description
The situla was a deluxe ritual vessel that played an important role in Egyptian religious ceremonies. The two scenes on this situla exemplify the dual roles of a pious Egyptian in the afterlife: receiving offerings from his family on the one hand and making offerings to the gods on the other. On one side of the vessel the deceased, Padiamennebnesuttawy ("He who Amen, lord of Karnak, gives"), sits in a low chair accompanied by his pet dog. The vertical, cross-shaped sign preceding the animal is his name, Nefer, meaning "good one" or "beautiful one." On the right, the deceased's eldest son, Amenhotep, makes offerings of incense and water to his father. On the other side the deceased demonstrates his piety by making an offering of round loaves of bread, vegetables, and meat to the gods. Opposite him are the gods who are the recipients of his offerings—Osiris, god of the dead; Horus, son of Isis; and Isis herself—each of whom wears elaborate beaded and feathered garments.
date
305–30 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60763137
genreSpecific
Vessels
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 15.5 cm (6 1/8 in.); Diameter of mouth: 10.2 cm (4 in.); Overall: 28.3 cm (11 1/8 in.); with handle: 45.2 cm (17 13/16 in.)
cul
Egypt, Greco-Roman period (332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE)
accession
1932.32
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Decorated Situla, 305–30 BCE. Egypt, Greco-Roman period (332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE). Bronze; diameter: 15.5 cm (6 1/8 in.); diameter of mouth: 10.2 cm (4 in.); overall: 28.3 cm (11 1/8 in.); with handle: 45.2 cm (17 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund, 1932.32
collection
Egypt - Ptolemaic Dynasty
citations
citation
Mond, Sir Robert and Oliver H. Meyers. <em>The Bucheum</em>. London, England: The Egypt Exploration Society and Humphrey Milford, 1934.
page_number
Vol. I: p. 98; Vol. II: p. 22, no. 45; Vol. III: pl. LXXXIV, fig 4, pl. LXXXV, pl. CLXI, figs. 1–2
citation
Fischer, Henry G. “More Ancient Egyptian Names of Dogs and Other Animals.” <em>The Metropolitan Museum of Art Journal</em> 12 (1977): 173–178, fig. 1.
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 12
citation
Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač.<em> Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999
page_number
Reproduced: p. 492; Mentioned: p. 492-3
citation
Director’s correspondence file for W.M. Flinders Petrie, 1914-1937, Box 18, Folder 15, Frederic Allen Whiting Records, CMA Archives.
creditline
The Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:57:48.589000
sourceId
113309
dept
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
coll
Egypt - Ptolemaic Dynasty
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
2110dfdc422120f7