Model of a Folding Bed
Unknown Artist
ca. 1550–1295 B.C.
Medium
Wood, modern cord
Dimensions
height at foot end 13 cm (5 1/8 in); l. 30.8 cm (12 1/8 in)
Classification
Model folding bed
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.2.13a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite model of a folding bed, crafted around 1550–1295 B.C. during Egypt's New Kingdom (Dyn 18), offers a fascinating glimpse into ancient daily life. Measuring just 30.8 cm long and 13 cm high at the end, this wooden miniature replicates a portable bed likely used by elites for travel, military campaigns, or temporary rests. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art through Rogers Fund in 192, it exemplifies the precision of Egyptian woodworking from a golden age of pharaonic power, when rulers like Hatshepsut and Tutankhamun expanded the empire. In ancient Egyptian tombs, such mod...