Statue of Demedji and Hennutsen

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This pair statue, showing a husband and wife, is typical of non-royal statuary made during Dynasty 5 of the Old Kingdom. The bodies of both figures are well proportioned, though the woman's head is slightly offset to her right and her arms are unusually long. Typically, the faces are quite similar in spite of their different scales, but the features are well defined, giving each face an appealing expression. Special attention has been given to the coiffures, especially that of the woman. Demedji was Overseer of the regions of foreign bowmen, and Overseer of the King's fortresses. Both titles imply a military function, perhaps in the deserts bordering the Nile delta. He was also Estate Manager of the King, and Overseer of the Herdsmen of Cattle. His wife, the royal acquaintance Hennutsen, was priestess of the goddesses Hathor and Neith. The statue was dedicated by their son, Ti, an Overseer of Marshes who may also be mentioned in the Abusir Papyri, suggesting that the statue was dedicated in early Dynasty 5.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.

Metropolitan Museum of Art