Statue of the Steward Meri Seated
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This object is not part of The Met collection. It was in the Museum for a special exhibition and has been returned to the lender.
This statue is a three-dimensional example of the style known from reliefs of the early reign of Mentuhotep II, with a short upper body, high waist, long legs, and almond-shaped eyes with flaring cosmetic lines. Based on their similarity to a hieroglyph for “assemble,” the crossed arms may have a funerary meaning, perhaps expressing the confidence that Meri’s body would be made whole again and thus ready for eternal life. The statue likely originates from a tomb in western Thebes.
This statue is a three-dimensional example of the style known from reliefs of the early reign of Mentuhotep II, with a short upper body, high waist, long legs, and almond-shaped eyes with flaring cosmetic lines. Based on their similarity to a hieroglyph for “assemble,” the crossed arms may have a funerary meaning, perhaps expressing the confidence that Meri’s body would be made whole again and thus ready for eternal life. The statue likely originates from a tomb in western Thebes.
Artwork Details
- Title: Statue of the Steward Meri Seated
- Period: Middle Kingdom
- Dynasty: Dynasty 11
- Date: ca. 2124-1981 B.C.
- Geography: Probably from Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes
- Medium: Limestone
- Dimensions: 21 7/8 × 6 1/4 × 10 13/16 in. (55.5 × 15.8 × 27.4 cm)
- Credit Line: The Trustees of the British Museum, London
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art