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Limestone pair statue of Ptahkhenui and his wife

Object(s) photograph: Site: Giza; view: G 2004

Painted limestone pair statue, depicting Ptahkhenui and his wife. Ptahkhenui stands to his wife's right, in the characteristic pose of Egyptian statues of men, with his left foot forward and his hands clenched at his sides. He wears a short wig, broad collar, and a knee-length kilt. His wife, who wears a shoulder-length wig, a broad collar, a wide bracelet and a tightly-fitting sheath dress, stands with her right arm around his waist and her left hand touching his arm in a gesture of affection. The woman's head was broken off when found but is closely fitted to the body. The paint on both figures is particularly well preserved.

Details

  • ID
    MFAB_06.1876
  • Department
    Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
  • Classification
    Sculpture
  • Findspot
    Mastaba G 2004, serdab
  • Material
    Painted limestone
  • Dimensions
    Height: 70.14 cm (27 5/8 in.)
  • Credit Line
    Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
  • Object Ownership Information
    MFA
  • Period
    Old Kingdom, Dynasty 5
  • Date of Register Entry
    about 2465–2323 B.C.
  • Owner
    Ptahkhenui (G 2004)
  • 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; 1906: assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Egypt. (Accession Date: November 8, 1906)
  • Remarks
    Object not registered (no registration records for 1903-1904-1905-1906).

Tombs and Monuments 1

  • G 2004

    • Site Name Western Cemetery

Published Documents 3

Unpublished Documents 2

Full Bibliography

  • Bates, Oric. "Sculptures from the Excavations at Gizeh, 1905-1906." Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 5, No. 26 (June 1907), pp. 20-21, unnumbered fig.

    Brovarski, Edward. "Old Kingdom Beaded Collars." In Jacke Phillips with Lanny Bell, Bruce B. Williams, James Hoch and Ronald J. Leprohon (eds.) Ancient Egypt, the Aegean, and the Near East. Studies in Honour of Martha Rhoads Bell, Volume 1. San Antonio: Van Siclen Books, 1997, pp. 145, 147.

    D'Auria, Sue, Peter Lacovara, and Catharine H. Roehrig. Mummies & Magic: The Funerary Arts of Ancient Egypt. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1988, p. 87, cat. 15.

    Fischer, Henry G. "An Elusive Shape within the Fisted Hands of Egyptian Statues." Metropolitan Museum Journal 10 (1975), p. 13.

    Freed, Rita E., Lawrence M. Berman, and Denise M. Doxey. Arts of Ancient Egypt. MFA Highlights. Boston: MFA Publications, 2003, pp. 88-89.

    Markowitz, Yvonne J., Joyce L. Haynes, and Rita E. Freed. Egypt in the Age of the Pyramids: Highlights from the Harvard University–Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Expedition. Boston: MFA Publications, 2002, p. 32 (misidentified as Nefu and Khenetemsetju).

    Riefstahl, Elizabeth. "A Note on Ancient Fashions." Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 68, No. 354 (1970), p. 253.

    Smith, William Stevenson. Ancient Egypt as Represented in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1960 (6th ed.), pp. 56, 58, fig. 32.

    Smith, William Stevenson. A History of Egyptian Sculpture and Painting in the Old Kingdom. London: Oxford University Press, 1946, p. 69.

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

Photos 14

View all 14 Photos

People 1

Ancient People

  • Ptahkhenui (G 2004)

    • Type Owner
    • Remarks Owner of G 2004. Limestone standing pair statue (MFA 06.1876) inscribed for Ptahkhenui and his wife (name not preserved); Ptahkhenui identified as [jmj-xt xntjw-S pr-aA] under-supervisor of palace attendants of the Great House; found in G 2004 serdab.