Relief Depicting Personified Estates from the Tomb of Akhtihotep
Very high relief contoured by deep straight edges is found in the late Third and early Fourth Dynasties. The lack of modeling and the serene, nonindividualized faces especially accord with the taste of the early Fourth Dynasty. Shadows created by the high relief combine with the absence of modeling to magnify the size of Akhtihotep's figures.
Artwork Details
- Title: Relief Depicting Personified Estates from the Tomb of Akhtihotep
- Period: Old Kingdom
- Dynasty: Dynasty 4
- Reign: reign of Snefru
- Date: ca. 2575–2551 B.C.
- Geography: Probably from Mastaba of Akhtihotep (FS 3076); From Egypt, Memphite Region, Saqqara
- Medium: Limestone, paint
- Dimensions: H. 109 cm (42 15/16 in.); W. 84 cm (33 1/16 in.); Th. 2.5 cm (1 in)
- Credit Line: Purchase, Funds from Various Donors, 1958 (58.44.2a); Rogers Fund, 1958 (58.44.2b)
- Object Number: 58.44.2a
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
Audio
3235. Relief Depicting Personified Estates from the Tomb of Akhtihotep
Gallery 103
These relief blocks, forming a corner, come from the tomb of the high official and priest named Akhtihotep. Its interior rooms were lined with fine limestone panels, and decorated with reliefs like the ones you see here. Both of the figures represent Akhtihotep, but in different garments. On the right he wears a simple kilt; on the left he donned a leopard skin over the kilt. Leopard skins were a garment typically worn by priests in ancient Egypt.
These two images are also good examples of Egyptian conventions for depicting human figures in two-dimensional art. Akhtihotep’s head is shown in profile, but his eye looks straight out. His shoulders are full-view, but the nipple, buttocks, legs, and feet are in profile. His stomach is also shown in profile, but the navel was depicted full-view and placed near the front contour of the stomach. The combination of these characteristics is not anatomically possible. But it allowed the artist to show every part of a person from the most characteristic angle.
The figures emerge abruptly from the background of this relief and there is not much interior modeling. For example, the musculature is indicated with great precision along the outlines of the figures but only individually rounded in a few places on the surface. The rather high raised relief is typical of late Third or early Fourth Dynasty art.
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.