Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · statue

Shrine with statues of Amenemhat and his wife Neferu

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, late–13, ca. 1850–1750 B.C. Limestone, paint. H. 134 × W. 80 × Depth. 75 cm (52 3/4 × 31 1/2 × 29 1/2 in.). From: Tomb MMA 202, Deir el-Bahri, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Egypt. Excavation: MMA excavations, 1920–22. Subject: Couples, Men, Women. Credit: Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922.

The same text in other collections

Linked by shared inventory number (MET-Object 544166). Each record below describes this same artifact or text from a different angle.

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

Limestone shrine niche with painted architectural framing and standing/contained figures in the interior, surrounded by columns of hieroglyphs on the side panels.

The image shows a rectangular architectural shrine element with an arched/stepped opening (a recessed niche). The outer upper molding and vertical jambs are painted with red and ochre bands, while the interior surfaces are light-colored with traces of paint. Within the niche are remnants of statue(s) or sculpted figures: at least one standing figure fragment is visible (upper body and head area), and a second form appears behind or adjacent, along with a base/plinth element. The side walls of the niche opening are covered with vertically arranged hieroglyphic text in black/dark lines; the signs are present but too small/blurred to reliably read specific names or sentences. No cartouche is clearly legible. No Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is visible. The visible painting and sculptural elements are consistent with a Middle Kingdom decorated shrine, but specific identification of Amenemhat and Neferu from the inscriptions/statues is not clearly confirmable from this image alone.

religious Middle Kingdom (as catalogued) fragmentary
Deities unknown
Royals unknown
Materials limestonepaint
Signs vertically arranged hieroglyphic signs (unreadable from image resolution) ×20

Connections

Found at Deir el-Bahri
Materials LimestonePaint

Cross-references (5)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116249152 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 22.3.68 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 544166 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • PNM-Object pnm:83888614 tier-2 (inventory-match)
About this record's data
  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
  • AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
  • Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
  • Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.