ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Tomb Relief

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodOld Kingdom, Dynasty 5 - Dynasty 6

Date2435-2152 BCE

MediumLimestone

Credit LineGift of Wayne and Ellen Bailey

Dimensions5 3/8 x 6 3/4 in. (13.7 x 17.2 cm)

Object number2006.010.001

Label TextIn ancient Egypt, pets were beloved members of the family. Some Egyptian names given to dogs and cats are familiar to us today. There were dogs names Spot and cats named Fluffy. In this small limestone relief fragment from an Old Kingdom private tomb, the dog has his name spelled out in hieroglyphs above him – H B N – meaning his name is Ebony or Brownie. We don’t know the exact breed of Ebony, but the inclusion of his name along with the fact that he is wearing a collar and leash signify he is a family pet. His owner chose to include his dog in his tomb decoration so that he and his pet could be reunited in the afterlife.
Exhibition HistoryFrom Pharaohs to Emperors: New Egyptian and Classical Antiquities at Emory, Michael C. Carlos Museum, January 14 - April 2, 2006
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2006 - August 8, 2011
Life and Death in the Pyramid Age: The Emory Old Kingdom Mummy, Michael C. Carlos Museum, September 10 - December 11, 2011
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, December 12, 2011 - January 29, 2018
Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 10 - November 11, 2018
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, January 29, 2019-Present

Published ReferencesArte Primitivo, Fine Antiquities and Asian Art (March 21, 2005), front cover, lot 142.
Rupert Wace Ancient Art (2006), number 19.
MCCM Newsletter, September - November 2006.

Terms

reliefs (sculptures)

ProvenanceWith Christie's East, New York, New York, ca. 1974. Ex private collection, United States, from 1978. With Arte Primitivo, New York, New York, March 21, 2005, lot 142. Purchased by MCCM from Rupert Wace Ancient Art, Ltd., London, England.

InscribedEbony

Status

On view

Collections