Fragments from stela of the Chief Steward Henenu
Middle Kingdom
These two limestone relief fragments, now joined, derive from one of the several rectangular stelae that were originally inserted into the interior walls of the owner’s tomb cut into the rocky cliff at Deir el-Bahri. The inscriptions from another stela identify the official, Henenu, as the chief steward who served King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II. The preserved portion of this stela shows the head and upper torso of Henenu, wearing bracelets and an ornate broad collar made of cylindrical and drop-shaped beads. He delicately holds a beaker up to his nose, perhaps to sniff the perfume inside it. His other hand reaches toward the sumptuous amount of offerings that would have been depicted in front of him. Of the offerings, only one ointment vase and the tail of a duck remain today.
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