Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Relief Blocks from the Tomb of the Vizier Nespeqashuty

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Relief Blocks from the Tomb of the Vizier Nespeqashuty

The vizier was the highest-ranking governmental official in ancient Egypt. His duties included overseeing the administration of the country by supervising, for example. the bureaucracies that dealt with land management, tax collection, and judicial affairs. It appears that in the Old Kingdom the task became so formidable that separate viziers were created for the northern and southern parts of the country this division seems to have continued throughout the remainder of ancient Egyptian history.

Nespeqashuty was vizier, presumably of Upper Egypt, during the reign of Psamtik I, first king of Dynasty XXVI, and may also have served as such under Tanwetamani, last king of Dynasty XXV. For an unknown reason, rather than building a new tomb for himself, he expropriated and rebuilt an older tomb from Dynasty XI. Built high on a cliff face at Thebes, the tomb commanded a sweeping view of the Theban necropolis and was situated just above an important processional route. In addition to remodeling the tomb's courtyard, Nespeqashuty decorated the tomb with reliefs which had to be fashioned in freshly hewn stone and attached to the tomb walls because the tomb's own stone was too poor to be carved. The reliefs from his tomb that are shown here compare favorably with those from the tomb of Montuemhat, one of his contemporaries.

 

This text refers to these objects: 52.131.1a-i; 52.131.2; 52.131.3; 52.131.4; 52.131.5; 52.131.6; 52.131.7; 52.131.8; 52.131.9; 52.131.10; 52.131.11; 52.131.12; 52.131.14; 52.131.15; 52.131.16; 52.131.17; 52.131.18; 52.131.19; 52.131.20; 52.131.21; 52.131.22; 52.131.23; 52.131.24; 52.131.25; 52.131.26; 52.131.27; 52.131.28; 52.131.29; 52.131.30; 52.131.31; 52.131.32

• Medium: Limestone
• Place Found: Thebes (Deir el Bahri), Egypt
• Dates: ca. 664-610 B.C.E.
• Dynasty: XXVI Dynasty
• Period: Late Period
• Dimensions: 40 9/16 x 63 3/8 in. (103 x 161 cm) 52.131.1a: 9 3/4 x 19 3/8 in. (24.8 x 49.2 cm) 52.131.1b: 9 3/4 x 14 3/4 in. (24.8 x 37.5 cm) 52.131.1c: 9 5/8 x 17 in. (24.4 x 43.2 cm) 52.131.1d: 16 1/2 x 25 in. (41.9 x 63.5 cm) 52.131.1e: 16 7/16 x 10 15/16 in. (41.8 x 27.8 cm) 52.131.1f: 16 3/8 x 18 in. (41.6 x 45.7 cm) 52.131.1g: 14 5/16 x 23 3/8 in.
• Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Temples and Tombs, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
• Accession Number: 52.131.1a-i
• Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
• Image: Overall, 52.131.1a-I.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Relief Blocks from the Tomb of the Vizier Nespeqashuty, ca. 664-610 B.C.E. Limestone, 40 9/16 x 63 3/8 in. (103 x 161 cm) 52.131.1a: 9 3/4 x 19 3/8 in. (24.8 x 49.2 cm) 52.131.1b: 9 3/4 x 14 3/4 in. (24.8 x 37.5 cm) 52.131.1c: 9 5/8 x 17 in. (24.4 x 43.2 cm) 52.131.1d: 16 1/2 x 25 in. (41.9 x 63.5 cm) 52.131.1e: 16 7/16 x 10 15/16 in. (41.8 x 27.8 cm) 52.131.1f: 16 3/8 x 18 in. (41.6 x 45.7 cm) 52.131.1g: 14 5/16 x 23 3/8 in. Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 52.131.1a-i (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 52.131.1a-I.jpg)