Statue of Tjeteti in middle age

Old Kingdom

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 103

The long kilt with a projecting front panel on this statue contrasts with the short kilt on the statue of the same man (26.2.8), cueing the viewer to the fact that the first is meant to represent Tjeteti as a young active man and the second as a mature official.

These two statues have been pointed to as exemplars of a 'second style' that emerged in Egyptian elite art at the end of the 5th Dynasty and gradually became the prevailing style. Where serene self-contained countenances had been the order since the 4th Dynasty, the faces of statues in the second style may show overlarge eyes and countenances lined not by age but by animation. Bodies of statues may also be thinner and less muscled, and hands may be overlarge. The change probably reflects religious changes at the time.

Statue of Tjeteti in middle age, Wood

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.