Name of Object:

Funeral statue of Lady Khent and her youngest child

Location:

Vienna, Austria

Holding Institution:

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Egyptian Collection

 About Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Date of Object:

c. 2300 BC; acquired by Hermann Junker during his excavation in Giza 1912–1929

Inventory Number:

ÄOS Inv.Nr. 7507

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Limestone

Dimensions:

Height 53 cm, B 26 cm, Diameter 38 cm

Description:

The funerary statues of the mastaba tombs in the Old Kingdom were kept in sealed rooms called serdabs. The statues were believed to be alter egos of the deceased, apt to receive the mortuary rites, which were then completed in the adjacent tomb chapel. Khen (full name, Khentit-ka) was the wife of a high official. The sculpture is a magnificent example of the Old Kingdom canonical sculpture in the round.

Citation of this web page:

"Funeral statue of Lady Khent and her youngest child" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;at;27;en

Database entry origination:

Copyedited by: Daniel de la Vega

MWNF Working Number: AT 028