Artworks

The scene carved in raised relief, the hieroglyphs in sunken relief. The female offerant wears a long wig and close-fitting garment which reveals her body beneath; its fine weave emphasising her navel and knees; her left breast exposed. She holds an ointment jar in her right hand and with her left lifts a lotus flower to her nose. Before her is an elaborate offering table which includes three storage jars supporting a reed tray on which is piled a calf’s head, a loaf of bread, three ointment cones, a lettuce, a calf’s haunch and a goose. A column of hieroglyphs behind the woman reads “...for the Ka of the Venerated One, beloved of her father, praised by her mother, venerated with Ptah-Sokar”, and another in the space between the figure and table names the owner “Hepy, Justified, born of Hepy”. Recomposed from several fragments, some consolidation to the surface.
This relief was carved during the reign of Amenemhat I or the early years of Senwosret I. The headband and double shoulder strap are unusual and perhaps a distinguishing mark of a particular artist.

Provenance

Eugène Mutiaux (1846-1925), Paris, France
Colonel Wild[e]; by descent from the above and sold at Hotel Drouot 1952
Ernest Ascher, Paris, France; acquired 1954 and seen by the late Egyptologist J.J. Clère
Ian Woodner (1903-1990), New York, USA; acquired prior to 1969, thence by descent
San Antonio Museum of Art, Texas, USA; acquired from Charles Ede in 2019, object number 2018.5

Literature

For an offering table in the same manner see Adela Oppenheim, Dorothea Arnold, Dieter Arnold and Kei Yamamoto (eds.), Ancient Egypt Transformed; The Middle Kingdom (New York, 2016), pp.125-126, no.60

Publications

Hotel Drouot, ‘Objets de haute curiosité: art égyptien..., art grec, art romain..., art du Moyen Age...’, 9th May 1952, lot 11, illus. pl.3