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Relief Blocks from the Mortuary Chapel of Metjen (detail). Saqqara;
Fourth Dynasty, reign of Snefru (ca. 25752551
B.C.E.). Limestone; H. about 19 7/8 in. (50.5 cm). Staatliche Museen zu Berlin,
Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung (gazelle and ibex: 1105.54, .55).
The mortuary chapel of Metjen is generally dated to the early Fourth Dynasty based on the owner's titles, which include the names of pharaohs Humi and Snefer, as well as the height and sharp outlines of the relief. Most of the decoration of the modestly proportioned, cruciform-shaped structure was found intact; a detail from one course of blocks from the south side of the chapel is displayed here.
Dominating the decorative program are lengthy inscriptions naming the numerous estates throughout Egypt that supplied provisions for Metjen's mortuary cult. Large images of Metjen provide the focus of the figural decoration. This stylized hunting scene with gazelles and ibex refers to Metjen's title of Commander of the Hunters. The compact compositions are similar to those formed in the roughly contemporary chapel of Itet and stand in contrast to the more complex, fluid scenes formed in later Old Kingdom reliefs.
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