DOI Artikel:
Naville, Edouard; Hall, H. R.: Egypt Exploration Fund: excavations at Deir El Bahari
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12051#0018
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Egypt Exploration Fund.
As for the statue, it is certainly the finest of its kind which has been
discovered in Egypt, and it is doubtful even whether Greek art can show
anything that may compare with it as a representation of a cow. The
cow is of natural size. As she is made of sandstone, the legs have not
been detached, and she is supported by a thick slab, painted in blue,
which colour signifies open space. Under the legs of the cow on the right
side a boy is being suckled.
The animal is exactly of the type of a cow of the present day; she is
painted of a reddish brown, with curious black spots in the form of a four-
leaved clover. These spots appear often on representations of the cow
coming out of the mountain, in the last chapter of the Book of the Dead.
In the papyri, instead of these spots there are occasionally stars, so that
one may hesitate whether these spots are not conventional representations
of stars. On the other hand, it seems certain that a certain breed of
Egyptian cattle has these spots, so that it looks as if these marks, like those
of Apis, were considered as the sign that the animal was an incarnation of
the divinity.
On both sides of the neck are papyrus flowers and buds which come out
of the water. The goddess issuing out of the mountain is supposed to go
towards the river, and to walk among the water plants. On the neck of
the cow is the cartouche of Ameuophis IT., the son of Thothmes III. It is
in high relief, like the buds of the papyri, showing that it was not a later
addition. No doubt he is the king who is being suckled by the goddess;
the same is sculptured under her neck. The scenes in the Hathor shrine
of the great temple show conclusively that it is the same king who appears
as a boy and as a grown-up man.
Originally the head with horns, disk and feathers was covered with gold,
which was rubbed off, probably soon after the statue was erected. The
cow had also a metal necklace which passed over the face and neck of the
king, and when this necklace was taken away, the head of the king was
damaged. The rubbing off of the gold did no harm to the head of the cow,
the great beauty of which is still intact.
The shrine has been rebuilt in the Cairo Museum, whither the cow
has been removed. Deir el Bahari is not a place where such priceless
antiquities may be preserved in safety. PI. ii, figs. 8-10, show the
operations of removal.
A considerable number of Xlth Dynasty reliefs were found this year,
as in the preceding years. Among them may be specially mentioned one
of the goddess Hathor in human form, retouched and painted under the
XVIIIth Dynasty (Toronto Museum), some beautiful groups of birds and
Egypt Exploration Fund.
As for the statue, it is certainly the finest of its kind which has been
discovered in Egypt, and it is doubtful even whether Greek art can show
anything that may compare with it as a representation of a cow. The
cow is of natural size. As she is made of sandstone, the legs have not
been detached, and she is supported by a thick slab, painted in blue,
which colour signifies open space. Under the legs of the cow on the right
side a boy is being suckled.
The animal is exactly of the type of a cow of the present day; she is
painted of a reddish brown, with curious black spots in the form of a four-
leaved clover. These spots appear often on representations of the cow
coming out of the mountain, in the last chapter of the Book of the Dead.
In the papyri, instead of these spots there are occasionally stars, so that
one may hesitate whether these spots are not conventional representations
of stars. On the other hand, it seems certain that a certain breed of
Egyptian cattle has these spots, so that it looks as if these marks, like those
of Apis, were considered as the sign that the animal was an incarnation of
the divinity.
On both sides of the neck are papyrus flowers and buds which come out
of the water. The goddess issuing out of the mountain is supposed to go
towards the river, and to walk among the water plants. On the neck of
the cow is the cartouche of Ameuophis IT., the son of Thothmes III. It is
in high relief, like the buds of the papyri, showing that it was not a later
addition. No doubt he is the king who is being suckled by the goddess;
the same is sculptured under her neck. The scenes in the Hathor shrine
of the great temple show conclusively that it is the same king who appears
as a boy and as a grown-up man.
Originally the head with horns, disk and feathers was covered with gold,
which was rubbed off, probably soon after the statue was erected. The
cow had also a metal necklace which passed over the face and neck of the
king, and when this necklace was taken away, the head of the king was
damaged. The rubbing off of the gold did no harm to the head of the cow,
the great beauty of which is still intact.
The shrine has been rebuilt in the Cairo Museum, whither the cow
has been removed. Deir el Bahari is not a place where such priceless
antiquities may be preserved in safety. PI. ii, figs. 8-10, show the
operations of removal.
A considerable number of Xlth Dynasty reliefs were found this year,
as in the preceding years. Among them may be specially mentioned one
of the goddess Hathor in human form, retouched and painted under the
XVIIIth Dynasty (Toronto Museum), some beautiful groups of birds and