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Relief of Mourning Women
- Medium: Limestone
- Place Made: Saqqara, Egypt
- Dates: ca. 1319-1204 B.C.E.
- Dynasty: late XVIII Dynasty-early XIX Dynasty
- Period: New Kingdom
- Dimensions: 11 7/16 x 16 1/4 x 2 13/16 in. (29 x 41.2 x 7.2 cm)
- Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
- Museum Location:
This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor - Accession Number: 37.31E
- Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
- Image: Overall, 37.31E_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
New Kingdom funerals often featured female mourners wailing and gesturing dramatically. Although sometimes called "professional mourners," more likely these local women joined the funeral procession to express solidarity and sorrow, and also to participate in a public event.
The sloppy carving and indistinct lines indicate that that sculptor of this tomb relief was relatively unskilled, but he did successfully convey how ancient women demonstrated grief by throwing dust on their heads and even falling to the ground. The different shapes of the figures indicate different ages.
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