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Chair of Reniseneb

New Kingdom
ca. 1450 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 116
The back of this wooden chair, which belonged to the scribe Reniseneb, is handsomely veneered with ivory and embellished with incised decoration showing the owner seated on a chair of identical form. It is the earliest surviving chair with such a representation, and it is the only non-royal example known. The scene and accompanying text have funerary import and may have been added following Renyseneb's death to make the chair a more suitable funerary object. The high quality of its joinery and the harmony of its proportions testify to the skill of ancient Egyptian carpenters. The mesh seat has been restored following ancient models.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Chair of Reniseneb
  • Period: New Kingdom
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 18
  • Date: ca. 1450 B.C.
  • Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes
  • Medium: Wood, ebony, ivory
  • Dimensions: h. 86.2 cm (33 15/16 in)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Patricia R. Lassalle Gift, 1968
  • Object Number: 68.58
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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