Royal Offering Bearer
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
When complete, the scene to which these two fragments belonged showed a long procession of female offering bearers. One figure carries a tall basket and the other brings a tray. In each case the contents are obscured by a cloth, but similar scenes indicate that these gifts were offerings of food. The Egyptians believed that food and drink were required to ensure the deceased’s continued existence in the afterlife.
MEDIUM
Limestone, pigment
DATES
ca. 2008–1957 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
second part of Dynasty 11
PERIOD
Middle Kingdom
DIMENSIONS
9 5/16 x 11 1/4 in. (23.7 x 28.5 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
56.126
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Fragment of limestone relief. In sunk-relief, female offering bearer preserved to waist, supporting with right hand a basket on her shoulder; left arm pendant (incomplete) and originally clasping offerings. Wig black, body brown, basket and dress white. Red guide lines still in place. Background plain. Same series as 51.231, 53.178, 54.49.
Condition: Incomplete. Areas adjoining left hand and head are damaged with loss of portion of head and basket. Paint worn.
CAPTION
Royal Offering Bearer, ca. 2008–1957 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 9 5/16 x 11 1/4 in. (23.7 x 28.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 56.126. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.56.126_erg2.jpg)
IMAGE
overall,
CUR.56.126_erg2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 11/26/2007
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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Are these from tombs?
These works come from two different tombs from Egypt's Middle Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom was a very important time in ancient Egyptian art, as it represents a high point for artistic production, and it was the first time Egypt was reunified, a strong narrative point.
The lower reliefs, showing two servants, come from the Tomb of Queen Neferu, the wife of Mentuhotep II who reunified Egypt and founded the Middle Kingdom. These reliefs would have served an important role in the tomb, as they represented offerings one would give to the deceased.