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From:UC Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities
Name/TitleFragment of a Limestone Relief
About this objectThis relief panel is possibly part of a funerary monument for the father of Ptah-hotep, a court official in Egypt. This section of the relief has been cut from a larger panel which may have been part of a false door, and was possibly constructed in the Old Kingdom period (2650 to 2150 BCE).
On the panel there is a raised relief of a male figure, Ptah-hotep, kneeling and holding an offering over a low stone offering-table on which has been placed bread and beer. The texture of his wig is rendered as horizontal rows of small, non-overlapping rectangles rather than as long strands. The figure displays bodily proportions typical of the Old Kingdom, with large eyes, broad shoulders, a slender torso with high waist and relatively well-muscled arms and legs.
Above the figure is an inscription in hieroglyphs . Part of the second line has been translated as "...his beloved elder son..." and in the line below, the name of this son is given as Ptah-hotep. There are traces of a brownish yellow pigment on the surface, but this has worn away from most of the human figure.
Date Made2650 to 2150 BCE
PeriodOld Kingdom (Egyptian)
Place MadeEgypt
Medium and MaterialsStone: Limestone
Style and IconographyEgyptian (ancient)
TechniqueRelief (sculpture techniques)
TechniqueInscriptions
MeasurementsHeight 320mm (maximum preserved); Width 226mm; Depth 59mm
Subject and Association KeywordsFigurative art
Subject and Association KeywordsHieroglyphs
Subject and Association KeywordsMourning customs
Subject and Association KeywordsArt and religion
Subject and Association KeywordsWriting and art
Subject and Association KeywordsFood in art
Named CollectionThe James Logie Memorial Collection, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Credit LinePurchased, 1971.
Object number115.71
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved