Work of Art DetailsGroup Statue of Nen-khefet-kai and His Wife Nefer-seshemes Description: Found in a rock-cut tomb at Deshasheh, located about seventy miles to the south of modern Cairo, this pair statue of the mayor Nen-khefet-kai and his wife Nefer-seshemes exemplifies in the pose and relative scale of its subjects the standard Egyptian artistic conventions for the representation of men and women. Nen-khefet-kai strides forward with his left foot and holds his arms closely at his sides, while his wife is depicted on a smaller scale and stands with her feet together. Each statue was carved separately and altered prior to burial to fit into a shared base. Artist: Anonymous (Egyptian) Inscriptions & Markings: [Translation] Inscribed near feet: Royal acquaintance, Nen-khefet-kai; [Translation] Inscribed near feet: Royal acquaintance, Nefer-seshemes Period: Old Kingdom Dynasty: 6th Dynasty Country: Egypt Provenance: Excavated by Sir Flinders Petrie, Deshasheh, Egypt, 1897; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, October 1897, by gift [of the Egypt Exploration Fund]; Walters Art Museum, 1973, by exchange. Credit Line: Exchange with Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1973 |
