Frieze from the tomb of Mereri
Unknown Artist
ca. 2100–2030 B.C.
Medium
Limestone
Dimensions
H. 15.5 × W. 23.9 × D. 5.1 cm (6 1/8 × 9 7/16 × 2 in.)
Classification
Relief, tomb of Mereri
Period
First Intermediate Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Egypt Exploration Fund, 1898
Accession Number
98.4.3c
Art Historical Context
This delicate limestone frieze, carved around 2100–2030 B.C. during Egypt's First Intermediate Period (asty 9), once adorned the tomb of Mer, likely a local official or elite figure in a time of political fragmentation following the Old Kingdom's grandeur. Measuring just 15.5 cm high, it exemplifies the modest yet poignant tomb art of provincial workshops, where resources were scarcer amid regional rivalries between Heracleopolis and Thebes. Expertly low-relief carved, the frieze features birds—symbolizing the soul's flight or offerings—and intricate hieroglyphs, blending naturalistic forms w...