Visual Analysis: Stela of Intef and Shenetsetji

SCAD

Nov 6

The Stela of Intef and Shenetsetji is a stone slab of the noble Intef and his wife Shenetsetji. This slab, made out of limestone with colored pigment, dates back to the years 2130-1980 BCE during the First Intermediate Period of Egypt. As stated on the museum inscription of this stela, the First Intermediate Period marked the breakdown of Egyptian society. Because of this, the Egyptians no longer built decorated stone tombs, but instead created stone slabs to be placed outside tombs, which were made of mud-brick. Being a stela, this artwork was used to mark a grave or communicate a historical event. This particular stela honors Intef and Shenetsetji. Intef, a respected noble and overseer of a temple, is being given an offering by the king, along with Anubis and Osiris, two Egyptian gods.

In the center of the stela is an image of Intef himself. He is the largest part of the stela, and boldly stands out in dark reddish-orange pigment. Because the depiction of him takes up most of the stela, it is clear that he is the most important, and focal point of this piece. This technique of sizing to show importance is known as hieratic scale. He is wearing three necklaces, bracelets and anklets, a kilt, and has a staff in his left hand. Depicted in a twisted perspective, his torso and arms are facing the viewer, while his head and feet are in a profile view. To the left of him and holding his hand is his wife, the priestess of Hathor, Shenetsetji. She is depicted unproportionally smaller in comparison to Intef. She wears two necklaces and seems to maybe have been holding something in her right hand. She is also rendered in a twisted perspective, or composite view, but her figure is noticeably less detailed. There is minimal, yellow pigment for her body along with darker pigment for her hair that matches Intef’s.

Around them are hieroglyphics. Some of the noticeable figures drawn are birds, fish, and even an eye. These hieroglyphics go all the way around the two figures of Intef and Shenetsetji on three sides. The left, right, and top are lined with multiple rows of these writings, leaving the bottom empty. There are also lines of pigment following the directions of the hieroglyphics. On the left side, by Shenetsetji, and the inner line on all three sides, are yellow lines, matching the pigment used for the image of Shenetsetji. The outer line across the top and right sides is the darker red pigment used in the depiction of Intef. These lines, whether intentionally or not, seem to act as a frame around the subject of the stela.

As mentioned before, this piece is made from a limestone slab. Red, yellow, and black pigment was used to enhance and add detail to the artwork. The limestone was carved to create hieroglyphs and detail in the depictions of Intef and Shenetsetji. The slab seems to be in fairly good condition. For the most part, the pigment is still extremely rich and vibrant, especially the red used for Intef’s body and staff. The red lines lose some pigment in areas, and the yellow pigment does not seem to have stuck as hard as the red did. There are also a few smoother areas of the limestone that presumably have taken away from some of the details. One major example of this is Shenetsetji’s feet. At the bottom of the slab where the feet are, the stone is so smooth that viewers today are unable to fully make them out. I also believe there may have been a row of hieroglyphics at the bottom, completing the square frame around the subjects. In the bottom left corner, the yellow lines seem to have continued further, which means this stela may have had a piece break off of it. So while this may have been an important object in Intef’s honor, at some point, this was not handled with the utmost care. That being said, this was also created during the breakdown of Egyptian society when Egyptians went from decorated stone tombs to rough stone slabs outside of mud-brick tombs. So this may have been damaged during its early stages during this time period due to the changing society and less focus on quality materials and tomb decoration.

This stela is roughly two feet wide with a slightly shorter height. It is a few inches thick. The shape is more-or-less a square but was probably slightly taller if there used to be more hieroglyphics across the bottom of the slab. As I mentioned before, this stela was created on tan-colored limestone with red, yellow, and black pigments.

The drawings of Intef and Shenetsetji are idealistic. These subjects are not done in a naturalistic manner, since both of them are depicted in a twisted perspective. This is an unnatural rendering, since the human body does not look like this. Furthermore, this is not drawn realistically. These are not faces that you could recognize from this stela if you saw their muses on the street. Intef and Shenetsetji are drawn idealistically. Twisted perspective was common in ancient art because it showed the “most accurate” version of a person or an animal. In the early ancient world, artists used this technique to make sure that all body parts of animals and humans can be seen, therefore, this is the “ideal” perspective with all aspects of the body being shown.

The form of these figures could be described as blocky. While there is more than just geometric shapes, these shapes are still present. Intef’s kilt, for example, is a triangle. His legs are rectangles. Both his and Shenetsetji’s arms are rectangular as well. Her dress is created using geometric shapes, and even her face is pointed like a triangle. The figures being in a composite view add to this style. The hieroglyphics covering this stela are also blocky - some of which are literally in boxes. This piece of artwork was created for people to understand the subject, not in an attempt at naturalism or realism. The goal of understanding is further evidenced by the inscriptions on the stela, which tell people what the meaning of this piece is. The inscription reads, “An offering which the king gives with Anubis and Osiris, Lord of Busiris in all his beautiful places, gifts of bread and beer for the hereditary noble, count, overseer of the temple and master of the secrets of the god’s sealer, the venerated Intef and his wife, his beloved, the priestess of Harbor and sole royal ornament, Shenetsetji,” (Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University). Because the stela contains a written description of the subject and the figures are in a twisted perspective, this proves that the intent was for people to understand the meaning of this work - to honor Intef, either in death or for an achievement, as stelas were used for.

As the inscription reads, the king along with the gods Anubis and Osiris, all offer gifts to Intef. This shows that he was powerful, well-known, and well-respected. The figure of Intef is drawn much larger than Shenetsetji and the surrounding hieroglyphics. This shows his importance, being the central and largest subject of the stela. He is also shown holding a staff in his left hand, which is a symbol of power. Shenetsetji being included in this artwork also proves how well-known Intef was because not only is he being honored in this stela, but the artist included his wife as a sign of respect for him and his family.

Intef is centered on this artwork, as the important subject of it. The hieroglyphic framing around him and Shenetsetji further emphasize this. The hieroglyphs form an intended line that creates this framing, but there are also straight lines outlining the rows of hieroglyphs. While most of these lines are still evident, there are likely some missing areas of the stone as well as areas that were smoothed out. Limestone is a hard material, so there may have been tragic weather that eroded at the stela if this was left outside. Egyptian tombs were either in pyramids - and this one may have been because Intef was highly respected and honored - in mastabas, or underground. But being a stela, this grave-marker could have been placed somewhere outside, marking the grave of Intef. That is more likely than the thought that this stela was touched so much that it created smoother surfaces in some areas, especially since this stela seems to be missing the bottom portion. However, the red pigment is in good condition, and unlike Egyptian blue, red was not as durable. Whether or not this was left outside, there is no denying the smooth surface areas on this rough stone.

Overall, this stela seems to have been a gravemarker honoring Intef and his wife, Shenetsetji. Intef was a highly respected individual who was important to the king and to the community, and that honor is evident in this stela. From the hieroglyphic inscriptions to the size of Intef to the staff in his hands, Intef was an important figure. Upon his death, he was honored with this stela and offered gifts “in all his beautiful places” - both on Earth and in the afterlife. This artwork was undoubtedly one of many ways in which he was honored, in life and in death.