Creative Commons License
Model of a River Boat
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )
Twelve oarsmen, a helmsman, and a pilot, or look-out, ferry their passenger, the tomb-owner. Such models were associated with religious beliefs, as they symbolized the journey of the deceased to Abydos, the traditional burial place of Osiris, lord of the afterworld. The tomb-owner is clothed with a shroud and is shown with a blue beard. This boat was probably placed in the tomb to assist the deceased in navigating the Nile of the underworld. Typically, models of passenger ships found in Middle Kingdom tombs occur in pairs. One to travel south, equipped with a sail, as the wind in Egypt blows constantly from north to south, and the other (as this model shows) propelled by rowers aided by the Nile's current, to travel north.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1913 (rudder oar and post), 1916 (boat), by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Egypt, Meir
(Place of Origin)
Egypt, Asyut (Place of Origin)
Measurements
9 7/16 x 3 15/16 x 22 7/16 in. (24 x 10 x 57 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1913 (rudder oar and post), 1916 (boat)
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
VO.1 (22.18, 22.19, 22.225)