Description
The offering table was an essential element of the funerary cult and was usually placed near the deceased's tomb in an offering niche or chapel. If the cult ceased to function, the carved images of food and drink on the table served as magical substitutes, thus insuring the survival of the deceased's ka, or spirit.
Provenance
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1931, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Inscriptions
[Translation] Texts inscribed around the outer edge addressed to Osiris and Hathor are prayers for offerings for the deceased, the "mistress of the house, Tarenenu." Also mentioned in the text are her parents and a favorite sister.
Credit
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1931
