Egyptian statue / sculpture - Dedia stele the master builder. Isis Osiris & Horus -19th dynasty art

The stele of Dedia –

Master builder of Karnak

Dimensions –

Height – 40.5 cm / 16 inches

Width – 31 cm / 12-1/4 inches

Depth – 7.6 cm / 3 inches

Available to order by your request.

On offer here is a beautiful replica fragment from the stele of Dedia featuring the Egyptian trinity of Osiris, Isis and Horus - the father, the son and the holy wife. Made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone, the sculpture has a well developed aged grey / slate black patina.



Description

Osiris was the god of the underworld / afterlife and takes the central position in the composition. He clutches the crook and flail across his chest and wears the Atef crown and false beard. The smooth, anthropomorphic style of the body indicates the fact that he was the first wrapped mummy.

To the left of Osiris can be seen Isis wearing the sun disc and cow horn crown of Hathor with a gentle hand placed on the shoulder of Osiris. The other hand holds the remnants of her signature amulet, the Tyet knot.

On the right of Osiris his son Horus, the falcon headed sky god, strides forward. His hand also seems to comfort the divinity creating a symmetrical pattern of arms that harmonizes with the crossed arms of Osiris.



Background information

This exceptional piece is a highlight of the central statue group of a very large stele made for the master builder of the temple of Karnak. His name was Dedia and during the productive early 19th dynasty he fulfilled the ambitious projects set forth in the reign of Seti the first. This was a period of monumental architectural undertakings across the land of Egypt and the great temple of Amun in Thebes (Waset) was to receive its’ most celebrated feature under the guidance of Dedia. The great hypostyle hall with a forest of decorated columns has no equal in size and grandeur.

It is befitting that the master builder would have the resources to commission a stele of this quality. The full stele was deciphered to reveal five generations of master builders that contributed master works in the temple of Amun.
These were the ancestors of Dedia showing clearly the family tradition of passing this skill to the next generation. It says a lot about the character of Dedia to pay homage to those that came long before him.