Wall Fragment from a Tomb Depicting Offering Bearers
Old Kingdom, Dynasty 6 (about 2400–2250 BCE)
Medium
Limestone
Dimensions
50.8 × 50.2 × 10.2 cm (20 × 19 3/4 × 4 in.)
Classification
architectural fragment
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
64325
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In the upper row, a priest named Irtyenankh carries a haunch of beef, while the man behind him plucks a sacrificial bird from a cage. Among the offerings in the middle register is a tall, covered beer jar.
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....