Relief, tomb of Khety: two men with curly wigs

Middle Kingdom

ca. 2051–2000 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 107

These two fragments of sunk relief preserve the upper parts of two male figures wearing curly wigs and moving to viewer right, possibly part of a procession. Above the head of the rightmost figure are hieroglyphs giving his name as Imi. Bordering the top of this scene is a multicolored band topped by a kheker-frieze, an abstract depiction of the knotted fringes of a hanging textile, which indicates that these figures come from the top register of the wall.

These relief fragments once lined the tomb's entrance passage of Khety, the first recorded royal treasurer ("overseer of what is sealed") of Mentuhotep II (ca. 2051-2000 B.C.). The tomb of Khety was situated high up in the cliffs at Deir el-Bahri, near the mortuary complex of the king.

Artwork Details

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Provenance

References

Title: Relief, tomb of Khety: two men with curly wigs
Period: Middle Kingdom
Dynasty: Dynasty 11
Reign: reign of Mentuhotep II
Date: ca. 2051–2000 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, Tomb of Khety (TT 311, MMA 508), MMA excavations, 1922–23/1926–27
Medium: Limestone, paint
Dimensions: Large fragment: H. 35 x W. 17 cm (13 3/4 x 6 11/16 in.)
Small fragment: H. 18 x W. 11 cm (7 1/16 x 4 5/16 in.)
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1926
Object Number: 26.3.354v2
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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Relief Fragments from a Large Figure of Mentuhotep II, Limestone, paint — Relief Fragments from a Large Figure of Mentuhotep II
ca. 2051–2000 B.C.

Relief of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II and the Goddess Hathor, Limestone, paint — Relief of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II and the Goddess Hathor
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ca. 2030–2000 B.C.

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656–650 BC

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ca. 2010–2000 B.C. or ca. 2000–1981 B.C.

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