This is a statue of man called Idi who lived around 4,200 years ago during the 6th Dynasty at the end of the Old Kingdom period of Egypt’s history. He was definitely a high official (which is no surprise, as limestone statues are a high status item) and may even have been Vizier.

As with a lot of Egyptian artifacts found before the 20th Century it’s not really known for sure where it came from – it was gifted to Commodore Matthew C. Perry by the Egyptians and subsequently Perry’s granddaughter sold it to the Met Museum in the 1930s (acc. no.: 37.2.2).

It may’ve come from Abydos as there’s a Vizier of the right name and time period buried there, but there’s a little bit of circular reasoning here as he’s thought to be a Vizier because of that tomb … however it’s a pretty rare name in the Old Kingdom so it’s plausible.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1328/category/6

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0dc472446e74
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3d0e6bcccff6

I don’t actually know very much about this statue. It was in the Cairo Museum but unlabelled when I took the photo in 2016. Judging by the other items around it in the museum, and the way it looks, I’m guessing that it’s an Old Kingdom statue of a family group.

It’s suffered from the depredations of time, there’s an arm missing off both the two chaps where clearly it’s been bashed about at some point, and the paint is chipped and rubbing off. But despite that you can still see that this was once a pretty nice statue.

The three individuals have been represented as prosperous and well off. They’re dressed in fine white linen, carefully pleated for the men’s kilts and a close fitting sheath dress for the woman. They also all wear jewellery and look like they are healthy and well fed.

I particularly like all the detail on the woman’s dress and accessories. The dress, necklaces and bracelet clearly make a cohesive outfit, and I wonder if this was something she would’ve worn in life or an idealised outfit designed for eternity.

As I said, it’s in the Cairo Museum or at least it was in 2016, but I’ve no idea where it came from, when it was made, nor the accession number. If anyone has more information then do let me know! 🙂️

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/508/category/4

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2a6e469eb7bb
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0a0ad8957437

This delightful little piece is only 7.5 inches tall and is inscribed with the name of Merenre I who ruled immediately before the better known Pepi II towards the end of the 6th Dynasty. This makes it over 4000 years old, and despite being that old it’s still in pretty good nick!

It’s made of alabaster and shows a mother monkey cuddling her baby. It’s thought to’ve been a vessel which once held oil or unguents, and may’ve been gifted to a woman of the court by the king. The imagery has connotations of the exotic and of fertility.

It also makes me think a bit of the small alabaster statue of Pepi II on his mother’s knee that’s in the Brooklyn Museum now, but I rather think no Ancient Egyptian would make that link!

It’s not clear where it was found but it is now in the Met Museum (acc. no.: 30.8.1340.)

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1333/category/6
See also the statue of Pepi II and his mother: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/282

I’ve talked about Pepi II on the blog before: https://talesfromthetwolands.org/2020/05/11/pepi-ii/

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2545e4ca2e19
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=15770af90f36

There’s something fascinating about damaged and fragmentary statue faces, and I frequently find myself photographing them in museums. They evoke the same feeling as Shelley’s Ozymandias, and I find the look of faded grandeur in the resulting photos compelling.

This face depicts Khafre, the fourth king of the 4th Dynasty and builder of the second biggest pyramid at Giza (put on a higher foundation than Khufu’s so that it would look bigger!). It was probably found in his pyramid complex (it’s now in the Met Museum, acc. no.: 26.7.1392),

It’s made of Egyptian alabaster (aka travertine, aka calcite). I particularly like the juxtaposition between the smooth, almost soft-looking, finished surfaces and the rough stone where it has broken apart. It must’ve been beautiful when originally made.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1362/category/6

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=352bdbda20a7
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=051997dbc4ad

There were eleven wooden statues found in the tomb of Merti at Saqqara, who lived during the 5th Dynasty (over 4000 years ago) and was a high official and provincial governor. These two are Merti (back) and his wife (foreground).

I say “his wife” coz that’s what the museum label says, but she has no inscription so it’s really shorthand for “a woman associated with Merti perhaps his wife, perhaps his mother”. A reminder that the limited space of a museum label can make it sound more definitive than it is!

The statues are made of acacia wood, and would once have been painted. I’m always astonished that wooden objects like this have survived so long. They’re still beautiful too, and display a great attention to detail. Once they must’ve been spectacular.

These two are now in the Met Museum (acc. no.s: 26.2.2 and 26.2.3), along with 3 others; 5 more are in Cairo and the last is in Stockholm.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1335/ and go left for two more views of this pair of statues.

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=02c2138a66de
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1d1ed5d0bee0