Model food offering, cake
Unknown Artist
ca. 1981–1975 B.C.
Medium
Mud
Dimensions
L. 4.3 × Th. 9 cm (1 11/16 in. × 3 9/16 in.)
Classification
Model food offering, cake
Period
Middle Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1920
Accession Number
20.3.261
Tags
About this artwork
This modest mud cake model represents a profound Egyptian belief in the sustenance of the afterlife. Created during Dynasty 12 of the Middle Kingdom (circa 1981–1975 BCE), this food offering was placed in a tomb at Thebes to ensure the deceased would never hunger in eternity. The ancient Egyptians developed multiple methods to guarantee provisions for the dead, including actual food offerings, painted depictions, and three-dimensional models like this example. Such models proliferated during the...