Relief of a Nobleman, ca 1292–1075 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 20 3/16 × 17 1/4 × 3 1/2 in. (51.3 × 43.8 × 8.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.261. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 36.261_overall01_PS22.jpg)
Relief of a Nobleman, ca 1292–1075 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 20 3/16 × 17 1/4 × 3 1/2 in. (51.3 × 43.8 × 8.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.261. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 36.261_overall02_PS22.jpg)
Relief of a Nobleman
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
The exact context of this relief is unknown. The anonymous noble's garment and elaborate wig with lotus flower fillet and intricate locks are perfect attire for an offering scene in the underworld.
The relief clearly illustrates the legacy of the artistic style championed by Akhenaten, Egypt's so-called heretic pharaoh. The projection of the face and neck beyond the wig and the deep carving of the rear of the head are details that continued long after Akhenaten's reign. The elegant treatmnent suggests that the relief comes from a tomb at Saqqara, a vast cemetery in the region of Memphis. At the left a hand holds a sistrum (or rattle) and a flower. The missing person was surely a woman, either the wife or some other relative of the deceased.
MEDIUM
Limestone, pigment
DATES
ca 1292–1075 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
Dynasty 19 to Dynasty 20
PERIOD
New Kingdom
DIMENSIONS
20 3/16 × 17 1/4 × 3 1/2 in. (51.3 × 43.8 × 8.9 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
36.261
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
PROVENANCE
Archaeological provenance not yet documented; before 1925, acquired by the Scheurleer Museum, the Hague, the Netherlands; 1936, purchased from the Scheurleer Museum by the Jean Capart for the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Painted limestone relief, probably from a tomb, of the head and bust of a man wearing an elaborate headdress. Sunk relief.
Probably a fragment from a large scene in the offering chamber of a tomb. The man wears a very elaborate headdress and garment typical of the Late Empire Period. His wig is beautifully executed and is most elaborate in detail. He faces the spectator’s right in a conventional pose. Behind him is a very large sistrum grasped in a hand. Probably this fragment is from the figure of his wife. There is no inscription. The workmanship is excellent.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Relief of a Nobleman, ca 1292–1075 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 20 3/16 × 17 1/4 × 3 1/2 in. (51.3 × 43.8 × 8.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.261. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 36.261_overall01_PS22.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 36.261_overall01_PS22.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2024
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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