© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Tomb Relief

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodOld Kingdom, Dynasty 6

Date2305-2152 BCE

MediumLimestone, pigment

Credit LineEgyptian Purchase Fund

Dimensions17 11/16" (45 cm)

Object number2001.008.001

Label TextWhile the burial chamber was sealed after the funeral, the chapel above ground remained open to allow visitors to leave offerings and say prayers for the deceased. The chapel was often decorated with depictions of people bringing offerings for the spirit of the tomb owner.

The example shown here is of a rough style typical of the end of the Old Kingdom. Men and women are bringing offerings that include a goose and jars of beer. The inscription at the top contains a standard offering formula, while the texts in the lower register identify the offering bearers as the children of the deceased: a daughter, Irytnes, and two sons, Herheutef and Shepses.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2001 - 2007
Published ReferencesBonhams Knightsbridge, Antiquities (3rd October 2000), 106, lot 417.
Peter Lacovara and Betsy Teasley Trope, The Realm of Osiris (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2001), 24.

ProvenanceEx private collection, Netherlands, purchased from Komter, Netherlands, early 20th Century. Purchased by MCCM from Bonhams, October 4, 2000, lot 417.

Status

Not on view

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