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Image for Statue Group of Nen-kheft-ka and His Wife, Nefer-shemes
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Statue Group of Nen-kheft-ka and His Wife, Nefer-shemes

Egyptian (Artist)
ca. 2350 BCE (Old Kingdom, late 5th dynasty)
limestone, traces of paint
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )

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-kheft-ka and his wife Nefer-shemes exemplifies in the pose and relative scale of its subjects the standard Egyptian artistic conventions for the representation of men and women. Nen-kheft-ka 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.

Inscription

[Translation] Inscribed near feet: Royal acquaintance, Nen-kheft-ka; [Translation] Inscribed near feet: Royal acquaintance, Nefer-shemes

Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

[Excavated by Sir Flinders Petrie, Deshasheh, Egypt, 1897]; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, October 1897, by gift [of the Egypt Exploration Fund, no. 97.1092]; Walters Art Museum, 1973, by exchange.

Exhibitions

1998-2001 Highlights from the Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.

Conservation

Date Description Narrative
Treatment technical study; stabilized
6/8/1973 Treatment reconstructed; loss compensation
6/18/1997 Examination examined for condition
6/23/1997 Treatment technical study; stabilized
8/6/1998 Examination survey
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Geographies

(Place of Origin) Egypt, Dishashah, mastaba of Nen-kheft-ka (Deshasheh) (Place of Discovery)

Measurements

21 7/16 x 12 3/16 x 8 3/4 in. (54.5 x 31 x 22.3 cm)

Credit Line

Museum acquisition by exchange with Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1973

Location in Museum

Centre Street: Second Floor: Egyptian Art

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

22.425

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Hours

  • Wednesday—Sunday: 10 a.m.—5 p.m.
  • Thursday: 1–8 p.m.
  • Monday—Tuesday: Closed

Location

600 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD
21201

Phone

410-547-9000

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