Relief fragment from the tomb of Meketre
Unknown Artist
ca. 1981–1975 B.C.
Medium
Limestone
Dimensions
H. 8 cm ( 3 1/8 in.); W. 10 cm ( 3 15/16 in.); D. 1.4 cm ( 9/16 in.)
Classification
Relief, tomb of Meketre
Period
Middle Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1931
Accession Number
31.3.176a
Tags
Art Historical Context
This petite limestone relief fragment, measuring just 8 cm high 10 cm wide, from the tomb of Mre, a high-ranking who served under pharaohs of Egypt's Middle Kingdom (Dynasty 12, ca. 1981–1975 B.C.). Discovered Deir el-Bahri near Thebes, such fragments were part of larger wall decorations in elite tombs, acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the Rogers Fund in 1. In Middle Kingdom funerary art reliefs like this served a vital purpose: to magically provision the deceased in the afterlife by depicting everyday scenes. The "Animals" tag points to representations of livestock or wildl...