<em>Relief of King Sobekhotep III</em>, ca. 1744–1741 B.C.E. Quartzite, 63 1/2 x 66 x 4 in., 765 lb. (161.3 x 167.6 x 10.2 cm, 347kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 77.194a-c. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 77.194_SL1.jpg)

Relief of King Sobekhotep III, ca. 1744–1741 B.C.E. Quartzite, 63 1/2 x 66 x 4 in., 765 lb. (161.3 x 167.6 x 10.2 cm, 347kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 77.194a-c. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 77.194_SL1.jpg)

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What is this? Why is there a hole in the middle?

This relief is remarkable because it depicts Sobekhotep III, one of fifty kings who reigned during the disorganized period known as the 13th Dynasty in ancient Egypt. It's rare to see monuments to these kings!

The large hole at the center is from an attempt in the 19th century to use this slab as a grinding stone. Luckily, in a way, the stone was too thin and cracked quickly so none of the remaining carving was rubbed away.

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What's remarkable about this piece is the king depicted. Sobekhotep III only reigned for a few years and was one of fifty kings that made up the chaotic 13th Dynasty. Little physical evidence of any of them remains. Even more remarkable is that this was a brand new relief carved for Sobekhotep III. Most known references to his cartouches that were re-carved from someone else's.

The two goddesses he is shown making offerings to are Satis and Anukis, local deities of the First Cataract Region (near the modern Aswan Dam) where this relief is believed to have been part of a temple.

Relief of King Sobekhotep III

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

This relief depicts Sobekhotep III offering vessels to the goddesses Satis and Anukis (left and right, respectively). This was a common motif of temple decoration. The king, who theoretically conducts the cult’s rituals in every temple every day, offers to deities who in turn bless him and, through him, Egypt. Both goddesses extend to the king three “life” hieroglyphs (the ankh). This relief probably formed part of a naos, or shrine for a cult image. The scenes, devoid of indications of time or setting, intend to convey a timeless and universal religious truth.

MEDIUM Quartzite

DATES ca. 1744–1741 B.C.E.

DYNASTY Dynasty 13

PERIOD Second Intermediate Period

DIMENSIONS 63 1/2 x 66 x 4 in., 765 lb. (161.3 x 167.6 x 10.2 cm, 347kg) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 77.194a-c

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

PROVENANCE Siheil (Sehel), Egypt; before 1893, removed by unidentified agent; between 1893 and 1926, provenance not yet documented; before 1926, acquired by Andre Bircher of Cairo, Egypt; between 1926 and 1946, provenance not yet documented; by 1946, acquired by M.H. Dufour of Cairo, Egypt; between 1946 and 1977, provenance not yet documented; by 1977, acquired by Roger Khawam of Cairo, Egypt and France; 1977, purchased from Roger Khawam by the Brooklyn Museum.

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MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Relief of King Sobekhotep III, ca. 1744–1741 B.C.E. Quartzite, 63 1/2 x 66 x 4 in., 765 lb. (161.3 x 167.6 x 10.2 cm, 347kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 77.194a-c. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 77.194_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 77.194_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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