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Stela of Amenemhat and Yatu

A work made of limestone and pigment.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of limestone and pigment.

Date:

Middle Kingdom, late Dynasty 12–early Dynasty 13, about 1870–1770 BCE

Artist:

Egyptian; possibly Memphis, Egypt

About this artwork

This round-topped stela (or commemorative monument) depicts a mother and son surrounded by the objects they hoped to use in the afterlife. The mother, Yatu, and her son, Amenemhat, sit in chairs with oversized cosmetic containers placed underneath. The distinctive flared shape of the white and red vessel beneath Yatu indicates that it holds ointment. Under Amenemhat’s seat, a thin, white applicator sticks out of a blue jar containing eye paint called kohl. The vessel’s color suggests that it is carved out of anhydrite, a fashionable choice for cosmetic vessels during the Middle Kingdom period when this mother and son lived.

Status

On View, Gallery 50

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Ancient Egyptian

Title

Stela of Amenemhat and Yatu

Place

Egypt (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1870 BCE–1770 BCE

Medium

Limestone and pigment

Inscriptions

Prayer, in four horizontal lines, for "a royal offering of Osiris, Lord of 'Life of the Two Lands' (a quarter in Memphis). May he give a mortuary offering of bread and beer, oxen and geese, linen, clothing, every good and pure thing whereon [the god] lives, for the ka of the gaurdsman Amenhemat, deceased, born of Yatu, deceased, (and for the ka of) his mother, his beloved, Yatu, deceased, born of Tita, deceased.

Dimensions

62.3 × 45.8 × 9.6 cm (24 1/2 × 18 × 3 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson

Reference Number

1892.35

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/127894/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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