Wall Fragment from the Tomb of Amenemhet and His Wife, Hemet (c. 1991 - 1784 B.C.) & Model Boat (c. 2134 - 1784 B.C.)

The displays read:

 

Wall Fragment from the Tomb of Amenemhet and His Wife, Hemet

 

Egyptian

Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12

(c. 1991 - 1784 B.C.)

Limestone, with pigment

 

Museum Purchase Fund, 1920.262

 

Lauded by Breasted as "one of the finest pieces I ever saw," this relief still retains its original, brightly colored four-thousand-year-old pigment. The function of Egyptian tomb art was to preserve scenes of daily life for the afterlife. In this scene, Amenemhet and his wife are outfitted with food and drink to sustain them after death. With this piece, Breasted provided the museum with a beautiful and archetypal example of Egyptian funerary art that also depicts the daily lives of ancient Egyptians.

 

Model Boat

 

Egyptian

Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 11 / 12 (c. 2134 - 1784 B.C.)

Wood with pigment

 

In the Middle Kingdom, tomb paintings and statues were often supplemented with wooden models. This boat is fully equipped with a crew, oars, and a mast. It was thought that the model could provide the soul of the deceased not only with routine transportation, but also with the ability to make the pilgrimage to the sacred city of Abydos in southern Egypt, the cult center of the God Osiris.

 

Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, Robert F. Fleming, and Norman W. Harris, 1894.241

 

Taken November 27th, 2010.

Done