Ceremonial Situla of the 'Great Praised' Penmin showing Nut as a tree-goddess, and Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Harsiese

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Just below the rim of this situla is a band of stars indicating the sky, and beneath that is a register of inscription which asks that the 'Great Praised' Penmin give life to Hetepkhonsu, and names various other individuals whose relationship is not entirely clear.Two scenes cover opposite sides of this vessel. In one scene a tree goddess, named here as Nut, pours water down over Penmin on the right and his ba (in the form of a bird) on the left. In the other Penmin adores across an offering table the gods, Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Harsiese. A lotus design clasps the rounded bottom of the vessel.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.

Metropolitan Museum of Art