Relief fragment, tomb of Meketre
Unknown Artist
ca. 1981–1975 B.C.
Medium
Limestone, paint
Classification
Relief fragment, tomb of Meketre
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
20.3.1037
Art Historical Context
This exquisite relief fragment originates from the tomb of Mre, a prominent official Egypt's Middle Kingdom, specifically Dynasty 12 (ca. 1981–1975.C.). Crafted during the reign of early 12th Dynasty pharaohs like Senret I, such tomb decorations were essential for the afterlife, ensuring the deceased's eternal sustenance through vivid depictions of daily life, offerings, or. Meketre's tomb, near Thebes, exemplifies the period's resurgence in artistic patronage after the instability of the First Intermediate PeriodCarved in limestone and enhanced with mineral-based paints—still remarkably prese...