Relief of a Nobleman
Culture
Ancient Egyptian
DateOld Kingdom, about 2543–2120 BCE
Mediumlimestone
Dimensions177.8 x 172.7 cm (70 x 68 in.)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number1931.99
Descriptionlow-relief carved limestoneLabel TextThe Egyptians believed in an eternal life for the soul; they thought that representations of daily life in their tombs would insure them participation in these activities after death. On this relief from his early 6th Dynasty tomb at Saqqara, Ny-ankh-nesuwt, an Egyptian nobleman, is shown bird hunting on the river Nile accompanied by his eldest son who is depicted in smaller scale in front of his right foot. Originally, he held a throwing stick in his left hand, similar to the one held by his son, and a captured bird in his right hand. Behind him, arranged in registers one above the other, are three rows of men identified by the columns of hieroglyphs over their heads: only a fragment of the legs of the man in the upper register remains; two other sons and a priest appear in the middle register; and a dwarf, a monkey, and a hound are in the lower register. All the men are carved in the characteristic Egyptian convention with their heads, arms, and legs shown in profile, and their eyes and shoulders seen from the front. Traces of paint may still be seen, especially on the right side of the relief. Of particular interest are the ancient graffiti, including a cat, a dog, a bird, and some plants, scratched around Ny-ankh-nesuwt's legs and on the side of the boat; these probably date to the Greco-Roman/Coptic period. ProvenanceFormerly in the collection of Mr. Khawam, Paris. The relief comes from the same tomb as those in the Cleveland Museum, Kansas City Museum, Honolulu Museum as well as in the private collection of Mr. Grenville Winthrop, New York. Purchased by Worcester Art Museum, August 5, 1931.
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