Funerary Cone of the Fourth Prophet of Amun Neferhotep
Unknown Artist
ca. 1550–1295 B.C.
Medium
Pottery
Dimensions
Preserved L. 2.5 × Diam. 8.2 cm (1 × 3 1/4 in.)
Classification
Cone, Neferotep, circular impression, fourth priest, Amenhotep, house mistress
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Norman de Garis Davies, 1930
Accession Number
30.6.134
Tags
Art Historical Context
This modest pottery funerary cone, dating to Egypt's New Kingdom (Dynasty 18, ca. 1550–1295 B.C.), once served a poignant purpose in the afterlife rituals of the elite. Measuring just 2.5 cm long and 8.2 cm in diameter, it was likely placed in a niche above the tomb entrance of Neferhotep, the Prophet of Amun—a temple official devoted to Thebes' chief deity, Amun. These cones, mass-produced yet personalized, bore hieroglyphic inscriptions invoking passersby to offer water libations for the deceased's ka (spirit), ensuring eternal sustenance. Crafted from fired clay, the cone's simple conical ...