Stela of Userptah

Fragment of a round-topped stela made for Userptah, priest of Montu. It was originally made in two halves, joined vertically with two dowel pegs, the right half is all that now remains. The front of the stela was prepared with a layer of plaster before being painted with decoration that is divided into four sections. The preserved right side of the lunette shows half of a winged sun-disc with uraeus, flanked by hieroglyphs reading, ‘Behedty’. A border of multi-coloured rectangles divides the lunette from the second section, a frieze of cobras wearing sun-discs (uraei) painted on a red background. Beneath is a border of blue stars against a yellow background. The third section shows the Userptah on the right wearing an ankle-length transparent skirt over a shorter kilt, and sash across the chest, standing with his arms raised in adoration before an altar on which rests a water-pot cooled by a lotus-flower. Behind the altar stand Ra-Horakhty holding a was-sceptre in his left hand and an ankh-sign in his right. Above is a hieroglyphic inscription divided into three short columns and one short row, that records the name and title of the deceased: Userptah, prophet of Montu the Lord of Thebes.The lower section includes four lines of hieroglyphic text in black against a yellow background with green dividing lines. Around the edge of the stela a multi-coloured border of rectangles. The sides and back are prepared with a layer of plaster and painted yellow. A very similar stela for a priest named Pesetjerfi of the second half of the 26th Dynasty is now in the Museo Egizio, Turin (museum no. C.1568). CONDITION NOTE (1998): Incomplete , chipped edges, areas of surface loss, cracked surface, hole in back, surface dirt, discoloured.