Princess Satamun's throne
| Princess Satamun's throne | |
|---|---|
Replica of the throne
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| material | Wood, partly gold-plated and silver-plated |
| Dimensions | H. 78 cm; W. 54 cm; D. 63 cm; |
| origin | Valley of the Kings , tomb of Juja and Tuja (KV46) |
| time | New Kingdom , 18th Dynasty , time of Amenhotep III. |
| place | Cairo , Egyptian Museum , JE 95342; CG 51113 |
The throne of Princess Satamun (also throne of Princess Sitamun ) is a find from the grave of Juja and Tuja and belonged to Princess Satamun (daughter of Amenhotep III ).
description
The wooden throne is an example of the delicacy and elegance of Egyptian cabinet making of the 18th Dynasty . It consists of reddish wood, some parts are provided with a 4 mm thick veneer , also made of reddish wood. The chair legs are designed as lion feet. The paws of the lion's feet stand on high plinths divided into bulges. The chair legs were once silver-plated, remnants of the silver coating are still preserved.
The front and rear legs under the seat are reinforced with strips. The strips are angled and were originally silver-plated. A cross brace is attached between the front and rear legs. The ends of the cross braces have gold-plated attachments in the form of stylized papyrus umbels .
The upholstery of the seat, which is still very well preserved, consists of fine braided cord and shows a herringbone pattern. As usual for this time, the high backrest is inclined backwards. The top edge of the backrest is curved backwards. The backrest on the back is supported by three parallel vertical strips. Two outer supports are additionally reinforced by gilded wooden angles. Armrests and seat frames are also stabilized by gold-plated wooden angles and are continued as strips over the upper edge of the armrests to the backrest. Gilded bronze nails partially strengthen the mortise of the wooden parts.
There are gold-plated portrait heads at the front corners of the seat frame. They show the bust of a princess, possibly Satamun himself. As usual for this time, she wears a short, round curly wig and a simple headband. The head is adorned by a high, flat-topped plant crown and a wide collar . The crown, face and neck collar are gold-plated.
backrest
The back of the backrest is silver-plated and decorated with a fine feather pattern. The front sides have a gilded decoration. On the front of the back is a stucco relief depicting the winged solar disk . This spans the composition with the princess in the center.
The scene shows Satamun enthroned twice before a young woman who brings gifts. Your feet are on a footstool or a flat pillow. She wears a short curly wig and a side curl typical of royal children . The wig partially covers a large earring. The head of the princess is crowned by a gazelle diadem and adorned with a high lotus flower ornament.
She wears a wide collar on her chest and bracelets on her arms. In addition, she wears a tight-fitting robe with an ankle-length skirt, with wavy lines strung together closely. In her hands she carries sistrum and menit , which were typical attributes of priestesses and singers in the Hathor cult . Both young women who bring gifts are identical except for pattern and skirt length. The girls wear a half-length, square-cut wig, a headband and a plant crown, as well as bracelets, earrings and collars. You hand the princess a wide gold collar on a tray.
The double scene is framed by a lotus flower frieze at the top , a plinth frieze below and a colored ladder on the sides. The representation gives the title and name of Satamun, the presentation of the golden wooden collar is titled "Bringing the gold from the southern foreign lands".
Armrests
The insides of the armrests each show a procession of four donors. These are crowned with a high headdress made of lotus flowers, which can be seen alternately in side view and top view. The scenes show the offering of stacked gold rings. The decoration and design of the long skirts alternate, otherwise the presentation corresponds to the main scene on the backrest.
The outside of the right armrest shows the goddess Thoeris next to two figures of the god Bes . Thoeris is shown in the form of a hippopotamus with hanging breasts, crocodile back and lion paws. Bes, on the other hand, appears in dwarf form with crooked legs, a lion's face and a lion's mane, and a lion's tail. All figures have an irregularly dotted fur. One Besfigur swings the knife, the other Bes beats the tambourine . The left armrest shows Bes three times. The deities Thoeris and Bes served to ward off evil gods, spirits and demons. They guaranteed health and a long life. Thoeris was the goddess of fertility, pregnancy and childbirth. Both gods are often depicted on beds, headrests and chairs in the 18th Dynasty.
purpose
The wear and tear of gold leaf on the backrest, the decorative strips on the armrests and the decorative heads show that the chair was used as a commodity. In addition, it was also a ceremonial piece of furniture. The scenes shown relate to a gold handover, possibly related to the first Renewal Feast of Amenhotep III.
literature
- Geoffrey Killen: Ancient Egyptian furniture / (Vol) I, 4000-1300 BC (Vol) II, Boxes, chests and footstools. Aris & Phillips, Warminster 1994., ISBN 0-85668-095-8 , pp. 51-63.
- Marianne Eaton-Krauss : Walter Segal's Documentation of CG 51113, the Throne of Princess Sat-Amun. In: JEA. 75. 1989, pp. 77-88.
- Klaus-Peter Kuhlmann : The throne in ancient Egypt. Investigations into the semantics, iconography and symbolism of a symbol of rule. In: ADAIK. 10, 1977, p. 88 with note 5.
- Nicholas Reeves , Richard H. Wilkinson : The Complete Valley of the Kings. tombs and treasures of Egypt's greatest pharaohs. Thames & Hudson, 1996, ISBN 0-500-05080-5 , p. 178.
- Dan Svarth: Egyptisk furniture art from faraotiden. Skippershoved, Skårup 1998, ISBN 87-89224-39-6 , pp. 64-85.
- André Wiese, Andreas Brodbeck, Andreas F. Voegelin, Andrea Maria Gnirs: Tutankhamun - The golden afterlife. Grave treasures from the Valley of the Kings . Hirmer, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-7774-2065-4 , p. 196-201 .
Web links
- Chair of Princess Sitamun (English)