Accession Number
1980/1.202

Title
Abidôs - Portrait de Séti I

Artist(s)
Pascal Sebah

Artist Nationality
Turkish (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
circa 1880

Medium & Support
albumen print on paper

Dimensions
12 1/16 in x 17 1/16 in (30.64 cm x 43.34 cm)

Credit Line
Transfer from the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

Subject matter
Complexities abound in this photograph of a relief carving from the mortuary temple of Seti I at Abydos. The image fluctuates between two and three dimensions, as it focuses on the mostly flat, low-relief image of Seti I, yet the sliver of a corner along the right-hand edge of the picture suggests three-dimensional space. In addition, the camera’s zoomed-in view renders any sense of scale difficult to determine, a quality which is reinforced by the hieratic scale of the carved scene—the figure of the deceased pharaoh is much larger than that of the goddess Maat, who fits into the palm of his right hand.   

Physical Description
Close-up view of a low-relief sculpture that depicts a human figure in twisted perspective who holds out another, much smaller, seated human figure in one hand. The figures are surrounded by images of birds and plants, as well as hieroglyphics. 

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Egypt
Seti
hieroglyphics
pharaohs
portraits
relief
reliefs (sculptures)
ruins
travel photography