About this artwork
This pair of panels (along with 1910.224) was part of a painted offering niche designed for a woman named Meret-Teti-iyet. The fragmentary upper scenes depict people bringing offerings to sustain her in the afterlife. Meret-Teti-iyet sits behind piles of food at the bottom of each panel, facing approaching visitors. On this panel, she holds a closed lotus blossom on her lap; on the other one, she sniffs an open lotus flower. The lotus, which opens with the rising sun and sinks beneath the water at night, was a symbol of renewal and rebirth in ancient Egypt.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 50
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Department
- Arts of Africa
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Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
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Title
- Relief Fragment Depicting Meret-Teti-iyet with Offerings
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Place
- Saqqara (Object made in)
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Date
- 2060 BCE–2025 BCE
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Medium
- Limestone and pigment
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Inscriptions
- Inscriptions across panel: "The Beloved Lady of (King) Teti Comes"; the revered in the presence of Anubis, him who is upon his mountain, the embalmer, Merettetiyiyet."; " 1000 loaves of bread, 1000 jars of beer, 1000 oxen, 1000 geese, for the revered one, Merettetiyiyet"; "lassoing an ox".
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Dimensions
- 73.4 × 57 × 12 cm (28 7/8 × 22 7/16 × 4 3/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- W. Moses Willner Fund
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Reference Number
- 1910.223
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/120365/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
