Relief of Seankhkare Mentuhotep III and the Goddess Iunyt
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.
Parts of two scenes remain on this exquisite block. On the right, King Seankhkare Mentuhotep III faces the goddess Iunyt, a consort of the war god Montu. On the left, the king wears the red crown of Lower Egypt and enacts a running ritual, probably in front of Montu. During the Eleventh Dynasty, many of the modest mud-brick Old Kingdom sanctuaries in Upper Egypt were replaced with superbly decorated limestone buildings, including the temple at Armant. This relief shows the sensitive blending of southern Theban features, for example the intricate interior detail, with northern Memphite characteristics, such as the more spacious composition and the lower level of the relief surface.
Parts of two scenes remain on this exquisite block. On the right, King Seankhkare Mentuhotep III faces the goddess Iunyt, a consort of the war god Montu. On the left, the king wears the red crown of Lower Egypt and enacts a running ritual, probably in front of Montu. During the Eleventh Dynasty, many of the modest mud-brick Old Kingdom sanctuaries in Upper Egypt were replaced with superbly decorated limestone buildings, including the temple at Armant. This relief shows the sensitive blending of southern Theban features, for example the intricate interior detail, with northern Memphite characteristics, such as the more spacious composition and the lower level of the relief surface.
Artwork Details
- Title: Relief of Seankhkare Mentuhotep III and the Goddess Iunyt
- Period: Middle Kingdom
- Dynasty: Dynasty 11
- Reign: Mentuhotep III
- Date: ca. 2000-1988 B.C.
- Geography: From Egypt, Armant
- Medium: Limestone
- Dimensions: H. 78.7 cm (31 in.); W. 134.6 cm (53 in.); D. 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.)
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art