Relief fragment featuring a ka priest

Datecirca 2494–2181 BCE

MediumLimestone with traces of red pigment

Dimensions11 ¼ x 9 x 1 3/16–1 ½ in. (28.6 x 22.9 x 3–3.8 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the bequest of Sarah A. Maxwell, in memory of Hugh Edgar Maxwell, Emily Turner Maxwell, and Sarah Ann Maxwell

Object number2015.41

On View

On view

Label TextThe man holding cymbals (?) is identified by the hieroglyphs under his arms as a ka priest (“servant of the soul”). Ka priests acted as custodians and executors of endowments left by individuals to ensure offerings were left daily in their tomb. The survival of one’s soul in the afterlife rested partially on the integrity and work ethic of these priests who brought offerings that would spiritually sustain the deceased.

The relief’s faint carving did not affect the importance of the image. However, it can only be seen properly in raking light, which means light shone at a sharp angle.

["The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2024]ProvenanceProvenience unknown. [Michel E. Abermayor Ancient Works of Art, New York]; Malcolm Hardy, Chapel Hill, NC, 1964; [Leland Little, The Spring Catalogue Auction, March 11, 2015, lot 768]; [Charles Ede Ltd., London, 2015]; sold to NCMA, 2015.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement

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