Relief Fragment Depicting Merettetiiyet with Offerings
First Intermediate Period, Dynasty 10, about 2050 BCE
Medium
Limestone
Dimensions
71.1 × 61 × 14 cm (28 × 24 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
architectural fragment
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
64318
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This pair of panels (along with 1910.223) was part of a painted offering niche designed for a woman named Meret-Teti-iyet. The fragmentary upper scenes depict people bringing offerings to sustain her in the afterlife. Meret-Teti-iyet sits behind piles of food at the bottom of each panel, facing approaching visitors. On the other panel, she holds a closed lotus blossom on her lap; on this one, she sniffs an open lotus flower. The lotus, which opens with the rising sun and sinks beneath the water ...
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....