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Limestone relief from tomb of Senenuka

Object(s) photograph: Site: Giza; view: G 2041

Part of wall from tomb of Senenuka; nine blocks fitting together and including two niches (false doors); lower left piece smooth limestone (uninscribed false door); upper far left preliminary black ink sketch and to right of sketch finished relief of two figures seated at offering table (false door tablet); central piece has large scene of seated male figure to left and other smaller male figure to right; upper far right standing figure in relief outline and to left finished relief of two figures seated at offering table (false door tablet). (Combined from 07.1000, 07.1001, 07.1003, 07.1004, 07.1005)

Details

  • ID
    MFAB_07.1000
  • Department
    Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
  • Classification
    Architectural elements-Relief
  • Findspot
    Mastaba G 2041, chapel, W wall
  • Material
    Limestone
  • Dimensions
    Overall: 2041.2 kg (4500 lb.)
  • Credit Line
    Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
  • Object Ownership Information
    MFA
  • Period
    Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, reign of Khufu or Khafre
  • Date of Register Entry
    about 2551–2494 B.C.
  • Owner
    Senenuka Keki (G 2041)
  • Notes
    This object was excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition, but was not recorded in any object register book. 1905-1906: Excavated by the Harvard University–Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; 1907: assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Egypt. (Accession Date: August 1, 1907)
  • Remarks
    Senenuka, nicknamed Keki, was royal architect and mayor of the town surrounding Khufu's pyramid at Giza. This is the west wall of his tomb chapel, containing an offering scene in the center, with Senenuka at table, and butchery scenes to the right. A false door is carved at either end of the wall. The horizontal lines of text above contain lists of offerings for Senenuka's mortuary cult. The unfinished wall preserves four separate stages of the ancient process of tomb decoration: 1) a smoothed limestone surface (false door at left); 2) preliminary figures sketched in black ink (upper left standing figure); 3) rough outline carving prior to smoothing and modeling (upper right female standing figure), and 4) the sculptor's final product (the rest of the wall). The final stage of tomb decoration was the painting of the hieroglyphs and scenes in bright primary colors. Nine fitting blocks of relief accessioned as MFA 07.1000 + MFA 07.1001 + MFA 07.1003 + MFA 07.1004 + MFA 07.1005.

Tombs and Monuments 1

  • G 2041

    • Site Name Western Cemetery

Published Documents 3

Full Bibliography

  • Capart, Jean. L'art Égyptien. Bruxelles [etc.] Vromant & Co., 1922, p. 20, pl. 438.

    Lythgoe, Albert M., and Caroline Ransom Williams. The Tomb of Perneb. New York: The Gilliss Press, 1916, pp. 5, 16-17, pl. 5.

    Manuelian, Peter Der. "A Re-examination of Reisner's Nucleus Cemetery Concept at Giza. Preliminary Remarks on Cemetery G 2100." In Miroslav Bárta, ed. The Old Kingdom Art and Archaeology. Proceedings of the Conference held in Prague, May 31-June 4, 2004. Prague: Czech Institute of Egyptology, 2006, p. 229.

    Porter, Bertha, and Rosalind L.B. Moss. Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs, and Paintings 3: Memphis (Abû Rawâsh to Dahshûr). Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1931. 2nd edition. 3: Memphis, Part 1 (Abû Rawâsh to Abûsîr), revised and augmented by Jaromír Málek. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1974, pp. 24-25, 242.

    Smith, William Stevenson. A History of Egyptian Sculpture and Painting in the Old Kingdom. London: Oxford University Press, 1946, p. 164, pl. 45b.

    Smith, William Stevenson. Ancient Egypt as Represented in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1960 (6th ed.), p. 38.

    Terrace, Edward L.B. "Masterpieces of the Pyramid Age in Boston." The Connoisseur 168, No. 677 (1968), pp. 197-204.

People 1

Ancient People

  • Senenuka Keki (G 2041)

    • Type Owner
    • Remarks Owner of G 2041. Senenuka called Keki. North and south false doors inscribed for Senenuka Keki, identified as [rx nswt jmj-r njwt Axt-xwfw xrp wabw nswt sS a n nswt] royal acquaintance, overseer of the pyramid-town of Khufu, director of royal wab-priests, royal document scribe; also appears in chapel relief, west wall (between false doors), identified as [jmj-r kAt aD-mr grgt] overseer of works, administrator of a settlement; west wall of chapel (= MFA 11.1000 + MFA 11.1001 + MFA 11.1003 + MFA 11.1004 + MFA 11.1005) found in situ in G 2041. Also appears on fragments of relief (37-11-20a + 37-11-20b); found displaced in G 2040 X, originally from G 2041. Possibly same individual as scribe identified as Senenuka on block from north door jamb (MFA 07.1002) from chapel of Nefer (owner of G 2110).