Brooklyn Museum: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Relief of a Nobleman

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Relief of a Nobleman

The exact context of this relief is unknown. The anonymous noble's garment and elaborate wig with lotus flower fillet and intricate locks are perfect attire for an offering scene in the underworld.

The relief clearly illustrates the legacy of the artistic style championed by Akhenaten, Egypt's so-called heretic pharaoh. The projection of the face and neck beyond the wig and the deep carving of the rear of the head are details that continued long after Akhenaten's reign. The elegant treatmnent suggests that the relief comes from a tomb at Saqqara, a vast cemetery in the region of Memphis. At the left a hand holds a sistrum (or rattle) and a flower. The missing person was surely a woman, either the wife or some other relative of the deceased.

Medium: Limestone
Possible Place Made: Saqqara, Egypt
Dates: ca. 1295-1070 B.C.E.
Dynasty: XIX Dynasty or XX Dynasty
Period: New Kingdom
Dimensions: 20 3/16 in. (51.2 cm)
Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
Accession Number: 36.261
Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Image: Overall, 36.261_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Relief of a Nobleman