Limestone statue of
Panehsy
From Egypt
19th Dynasty,
around 1250 BC
An overseer of the treasury of the reign of
Ramesses II
Such a statue would have been placed in a
temple, exhibiting Panehsy's piety to the gods and hoping
for favours in
return.
Panehsy is dressed
in the typical style of the period, with a long flowing,
wide-sleeved robe and an elaborate wig. A block statue of Roy, also
in The British Museum shows a similar style. On Panehsy's
shoulders are
cartouches
of Ramesses II (1279-1213
BC).
Panehsy kneels holding
a naos (shrine)
containing figures of the triad (group of three gods) of Abydos:
Osiris,
Isis
and
Horus.
For this reason, and the fact that the inscriptions also invoke the
necropolis (cemetery) deities Anubis and Wepwawet, it has been
thought that the object might have come from Abydos, but it has
also been suggested that it comes from Thebes.
M.L. Bierbrier (ed.), Hieroglyphic texts from Egyp-6, Part 10 (London, The British Museum Press, 1982)