Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · papyrus

Composite Papyrus Capital

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

Sandstone, paint

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

Object appears to be a painted composite capital with stacked, papyrus-like and lotus-like carved bands, forming an inverted cup/bell shape.

The image shows a single architectural element viewed from the front, tapering upward into a flared capital. The upper section consists of multiple curved, vertical carved ribs that resemble papyrus/palm or composite papyrus motifs, with traces of painted color (notably reddish-brown, pale green, and off-white). Between the carved ribs are shallow incised grooves. The middle and lower zones display simplified blocky/rectangular bands separated by horizontal grooves, suggesting stacked mouldings typical of composite papyrus capitals. No clearly readable hieroglyphs or inscriptions are visible on the photographed face. The piece is light-colored stone with remaining pigment applied to the carved details; edges and upper rim show minor wear and chipped breaks. No deities or royal names/cartouches are distinguishable from the visible surface.

decorative Late Period (per catalogue; visually consistent with a carved and painted architectural capital) good
Materials stone (sandstone as per catalogue)paint (pigment traces)

Connections

Found at Hibis

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116249011 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 10.177.2 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 551898 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
About this record's data
  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
  • AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
  • Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
  • Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.