This relief comes from the walls of Tomb KV9 in the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of King Ramesses VI, who reigned c. 1143–1136 BCE during the 20th Dynasty.

He is identified by two cartouches: his birth name on the right and his throne name on the left. The scene shows the king with arms raised in adoration of the goddess Maat, deity of truth, justice, harmony, morality, order, and cosmic balance.

Maat, daughter of the sun god Re, was also considered the sister of the reigning pharaoh, who was the “son of Re.”

The bond between Maat and the king was essential, for the monarch’s legitimacy and the success of his reign depended on how faithfully he upheld maat. It was therefore common for rulers to style themselves as “beloved of Maat.”