Stela of draughtsman May

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Bankes stela no. 1.
Stela of draughtsman May
From Deir el-Medina
End of the 18th, beginning of the 19th dynasty
Limestone
Height: 30 cm
Width: 21 cm
This is a round-topped stela of a two fold division. In the lunette the spatial region in the upper portion of the stela – the solar barque is carrying a solar disk above the sky, represented by the hieroglyphic sign pt (sky). A child with a thumb in his mouth sits on the right side of the barque. The lower register of the stela consists of an image of a man standing at the bottom of the right side of the stela. He is facing to his right. His arms are lifted in adoration pose. Above and in front of the figure there are 10 columns of hieroglyphic inscription. The columns are written from top to bottom and read from left to right. “Praise to Re when he sets in life in the western horizon of heaven. You have appeared in the western half as Atum who is in the evening, having come in your might having no adversaries and having taken possession of the sky as Re. You appear and shine upon the back of your mother, having appeared (as) king of Divine Ennead. I have done right in your presence, and kiss the ground (for?) your crew worshipping (whilst) you travel the heaven, your heart glad. The Island of Flame has become peaceful, your enemies are fallen and are no more. The evil dragon’s abode is doomed. Your corpse is Atum in the Boat of the Morning, the rightful one of the Two Lands. Beautiful is the Boat of the Evening when it has accomplished its end. (Said) by the draughtsman May, true of voice.” This type of stela is called a Lucarne stela. Altogether there have been identified 13 Lucarne stelae originating from Deir el-Medina. This stela is an early example of its type as the owner is depicted standing rather than kneeling in adoration. Only 1 other stela – Turin 50043 – shares this feature, all other 11 stelae depict the owner kneeling. Lucarne stelae share the following characteristics:

a solar barque shown in the lunette, usually placed above the pt sign

• a sun disk or another sun god representation is depicted in the solar barque
• sun god is accompanied by other symbols relating to him (adoring baboons, wedjat eyes)
• the owner either stands or kneels in adoration of the barque
• although the owner’s relatives can be depicted, it is seldom a case
• the hymn, written in columns, praises the rising and/or setting sun

Lucarne stelae were manufactured from late 18th dynasty until the 20th dynasty. They measure between 30 to 55 cm (Goyon, 2007, 1953-1954).
The owner of the stela was called May. He was a painter employed at the Theban Necropolis and living at Deir
el-Medina in the 18th dynasty, around 1300 BC. His title was the “outline draughtsman of Amun” (Rice, 105-106). His tomb is situated in the Western Necropolis at Deir el-Medina near the tomb of the architect Kha (TT8) and is numbered TT 338. The wall paintings from May’s tomb were detached from the walls and removed to Turin. They are displayed in Room III of the Museo Egizio. The stela would have come from a niche in May’s chapel, where it would have been placed on a stone pedestal (according to Bernard Bruyère). When Deir el-Medina was excavated during the last century, these chapels were partly or completely gone as they were built above the ground and made of mud bricks.