Cornice Block with Relief Depicting the Purification of the Pharaoh

A sandstone cornice block carved in low relief. On the left, a bird-headed deity with a curved beak raises a hand beside a band of hieroglyphs. On the right, a figure in a striped headcloth appears to receive a stream of water from a raised vessel, in a ritual purification scene.

Look closer: A band of small hieroglyphs runs along the top edge of the block, carved in shallow relief.

Artist

Unknown

Date

41–68 CE

Medium

Sandstone

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

4000 × 3398 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1911