An Egyptian Granite Fragmentary Base with Inscription, Late Period, 29th-30th Dynasty, ca. 380 - 332 BCE
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Fragmentary granite base from a votive statue, preserving finely incised hieroglyphic inscriptions on multiple faces. The surviving text forms part of a traditional ḥtp-di-nsw ("an offering which the king gives") formula invoking Osiris, "the great god, lord of heaven," and requests funerary offerings of bread, beer, oxen, and fowl for the ka of the deceased. The inscription further names the ram-god Banebdjedet of Mendes and preserves the priestly title "he who separates the two gods," together with the personal name Neshatmehit, which incorporates the name of the local Delta goddess Hatmehit.
Although only the base survives, the inscription strongly suggests that it originally supported a statue of Neshatmehit, a high-ranking chamberlain and priest serving the cult of Banebdjedet. The text identifies him as the beneficiary of the offering formula, and the inscription's arrangement across several faces is characteristic of the bases of freestanding votive statues dedicated within temple precincts to perpetuate the owner's memory and ensure eternal sustenance for the ka. The surviving inscription reads:
“May a royal offering be given to Osiris residing in Sebennytos, the great god, lord of heaven, that he might in turn give bread, beer, oxen, and fowl … for the ka of the venerated one [in the presence of?] Banebdjedet … the chamberlain and (priest) who separates the two gods, Neshatmehit, …”
Though fragmentary, the base preserves important evidence for the religious hierarchy of the eastern Delta during the final period of native Egyptian rule and provides a rare association with the priesthood of Banebdjedet at Mendes.
Medium: Granite
Dimensions: Height: 1 inch (2.5 cm), Length: 2 3/8 inches (6 cm), Width: 1 1/4 inches (3.17 cm)
Condition: Fragmentary as preserved with losses to the original monument. Surface wear, abrasions, and minor chips throughout consistent with age and burial. Inscription remains largely legible.
Provenance: Nora Scott (1905 – 1994), Curator of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (retired 1972), and acquired from the Metropolitan Museum of Art by deaccession. Gifted to L. Virginia Burton (1918–2009) Associate Curator of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (retired 1977), and then by descent.
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