Stela of Amenemhat and Yatu
Middle Kingdom, late Dynasty 12–early Dynasty 13, about 1870–1770 BCE
Medium
Limestone and pigment
Dimensions
62.3 × 45.8 × 9.6 cm (24 1/2 × 18 × 3 3/4 in.)
Classification
Stelae
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
127894
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This round-topped stela (or commemorative monument) depicts a mother and son surrounded by the objects they hoped to use in the afterlife. The mother, Yatu, and her son, Amenemhat, sit in chairs with oversized cosmetic containers placed underneath. The distinctive flared shape of the white and red vessel beneath Yatu indicates that it holds ointment. Under Amenemhat’s seat, a thin, white applicator sticks out of a blue jar containing eye paint called kohl. The vessel’s color suggests that it is ...
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....