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Detail from an Offering Scene

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
Originally this relief fragment belonged to a depiction of an offering bearer carrying three pintail ducks to the king. Amunemhat I used many Old Kingdom royal reliefs in the construction of his pyramid complex at Lisht, so it is sometimes difficult to distinguish reliefs made during his reign from original Old Kingdom works. Certain details of this exquisite fragment— particularly the elegant sweep of the duck’s wing and the unnatural bend of the servant’s fingers—suggest a Middle Kingdom date.
MEDIUM Limestone, pigment
  • Place Excavated: Lisht, Egypt
  • DATES ca. 1938-1909 B.C.E. or earlier
    DYNASTY Dynasty 12, or earlier
    PERIOD Middle Kingdom
    DIMENSIONS 18 1/16 x 9 3/16 in., 24.4 lb. (45.8 x 23.3 cm, 11.07kg)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 52.130.2
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Fragment of limestone tomb relief. At left, portion of standing male servant holding in extended hands three pintail ducks. Below, cage or container with four geese. Fine workmanship. Condition: Broken into two pieces. Upper right surface gouged. Slight remains of brown and yellow paint on bodies of birds; fragments of red paint on man’s body.
    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
    CAPTION Detail from an Offering Scene, ca. 1938-1909 B.C.E. or earlier. Limestone, pigment, 18 1/16 x 9 3/16 in., 24.4 lb. (45.8 x 23.3 cm, 11.07kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 52.130.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 52.130.2_version4_PS9.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 52.130.2_version4_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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