Written by Peter Reynaers | 27th August 2018
In our Expert Talks, we hand over the metaphorical pen to one of our experts to discuss a subject in their field of expertise. In this edition, archaeological finds expert Peter Reynaers discusses a superb small work of art he came across in our auction: a stone relief of the Great Tomb of The once Mayor of ancient Thebes, Montou-Em-Hat.
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Historical archaeological finds are the relics of times past that make us long for superb temples, dark tombs with exquisite decorations and enchanting art. This rare fragment up for auction comes from one of the biggest tombs that was ever built in Ancient Egypt: that from the Mayor of Thebes during the 26th dynasty, Montou-Em-Hat. His tomb, situated in the Assassif, at the foot of the temple of Deir el-Bahari is one of the most beautiful and biggest of present day Luxor. Sadly, it's mostly closed to the public these days.
A fragment from the tomb of the Theban official and Mayor of Thebes "Montuemhat". He served during the reigns of "Taharqa" and "Psamtik I", during the 25th Dynasty and the beginning of the 26th Dynasty. The depicted Hieroglyphs are: snake - owl - quail chick - reed.
But who was he?
Montou-Em-Hat (c. 700 BCE – c. 650 BCE) was one of the most influential officials of the 25th dynasty. One of the black pharaohs, Mayor of Thebes, 4th prophet of Amun in Karnak, he played a most important role when Psamtik I brought the Nubian kings down and started the 26th dynasty. He married three times during his lifetime. His most well known spouse was Udjarenes, possibly a Nubian princess. She was a sistrum player (a kind of rattling instrument) in Karnak and thus had close ties with the clergy of the main temple.
Statue of Montou-Em-Hat in the Neues Museum in Berlin.
He began his political career during the time of the Divine wife of Amun, Shepenwepet II. But his power really began to increase during the time and reign of the Nubian (nowadays Sudan) Pharaoh Taharqa (25th dynasty).
A portion of the relief in auction showing the quail chick, representing the letter “W” or “Ou” and right behind the bird, the letter “i” represented by a reed.
In a clay document from Assyria, called the Rassam cylinder, Montou-Em-Hat is cited during the time of the King Assurbanipal as being the “King of Thebes.” It is not proven that he had this kind of power or that it was only the way the Assyrians thought of him. That said, he had extreme authority because he was recognised from Elephantine to Hermopolis and he was such a clever politician that the Assyrians respected him.
But that only means he paid tribute to them. As such, he survived the sacking of Thebes in ca. 661 BC by troops of Assurbanipal, this was recorded by Montou-Em-Hat himself in an inscription in the temple of Mut in Karnak. Anyway, at a given moment the dynasty of the Pharaohs of Sais came into power and he had to swear allegiance to the new rulers. Thebes once more became part of the great Unified Egyptian land.
Montou-Em-Hat’s wealth would have been great, because he set up a vast construction program, that included restoring civil and religious buildings, making numerous statues of the gods of Egypt and of himself.
His most well-known building however is his vast tomb in the Theban necropolis. It was made as a private funerary palace with two courtyards that are open to the air and numerous chambers under the ground decorated with reliefs and autobiographical texts.
Own a rare depiction of frontal art from Ancient Egypt
The art of Ancient Egypt is in our times notoriously known for its special representation that is in profile and always looking sideways. There are, however, some exceptions as can be seen in our relief: the hieroglyph of the 'owl' that is read as the letter 'm' is represented in a frontal way, we see both the eyes of the animal. Its legs are in the same, well known Egyptian profile style. The bird that was depicted in the Egyptian reliefs was typically the Egyptian barn owl. Sometimes the eagle owl was also used to represent the 'M' hieroglyph, and over the millennia the sign sometimes combined characteristics of both the birds, having the yellow-brown wings, the white body and the with face of the barn owl and the pointed ear tufts and darker head of the eagle owl.
A portion of the relief in auction showing the 'owl' that is read as the letter 'm'
This week we are hosting a superb Archaeology auction with select art from antiquity from dealers adhering to the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA), it was formed in London in 1993. IADAA is the international association of leading dealers in works of ancient art with high ethical standards. Members adhere to a stringent code of conduct designed to serve not only the interests of their clients but also the integrity of the objects themselves. At present, 32 members from eight countries belong to IADAA. Membership is highly sought after but hard to achieve; applications are rigorously vetted.
Make the most of this exclusive opportunity to own a special object that once adorned the walls of one of the most important and influential ancient Egyptians of his time.
If you are interested in becoming a seller, it’s easy and free to register. With a worldwide audience, Catawiki is the perfect platform to sell you special objects.
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