Seti I, the second pharaoh of Egypt’s 19th Dynasty, was deeply aware of his role in establishing a new dynasty and restoring Egypt’s prestige among neighboring nations, following in the footsteps of his father, Ramesses I.

He conducted military campaigns in the Levant, and the battle reliefs commemorating these campaigns adorn the exterior walls of the massive hypostyle hall he added to the Temple of Karnak.

Seti I also reopened gold mines in the Eastern Desert and Nubia. He constructed an elegant mortuary temple at Abydos, which houses the famous Abydos King List, as well as a mortuary temple at Thebes. In the Valley of the Kings, he created one of the most beautifully carved and decorated tombs ever built.

This kneeling statue of Seti I depicts the king offering to Osiris and was likely intended for his temple at Abydos.

The same high artistic standards visible in Seti I’s reliefs are evident here, and the face bears a resemblance to earlier kings of the 18th Dynasty, such as Thutmose III.