Rehuerdjersen was treasurer under Amenemhat I and Senwosret I, the first two kings of Dynasty 12. This stela comes from a Rehuerdjersen's cenotaph at Abydos, and the style dates from the reign of Amenemhat II, some forty years after the treasurer's death. The owner is shown seated at the left, behind a table piled with stylized loaves of bread; at the right, holding a bird for offering, is his brother, Heqatifi, who commissioned the stela. The inscription consists largely of the names of other family members.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Stela of Rehuerdjersen
Period:Middle Kingdom
Dynasty:Dynasty 12, mid
Reign:reign of Amenemhat II
Date:ca. 1900–1850 B.C.
Geography:From Egypt, Abydos; Probably from Northern Upper Egypt, Abydos
Medium:Limestone
Dimensions:H. 46.1 cm (18 1/8 in.); W. 23.2 cm (9 1/8 in.); D. 10.6 cm (4 1/16 in.)
Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1912
Accession Number:12.182.1
Top: A royal offering of Osiris, lord of Busiris, the elder god, lord of Abydos, [2] giving an invocation offering of bread and beer, meat and poultry, linen and clothing, and every good thing, for the ka of the member of the elite, high official, royal seal-bearer, [3] unique associate, overseer of the double treasury of silver, overseer of the double treasury of gold, privy counselor [4] of the king in all his places, overseer of the seal, Rehuerdjersen, born to Hapy, justified. Before Rehuerdjersen: 1,000 bread; 1,000 beer; 1,000 meat; 1,000 poultry; 1,000 linen; 1,000 clothing. Incense. The requisite offering.
Before Heqatifi: The lector priest Heqatifi is the one who has acted for him. He is his brother.
Bottom: Honored Ipi, born to Muutankh; his wife, Payes;
[2] his beloved son, Ipi, his beloved daughter, Sitwosret, justified. [3] Honored Khentekhtaihotep, born to Muutankh; his wife, Sitka; [4] his son, Dedusobek; his wife, Renefankh; his daughter, Henut; [5] his son Khentekhtaihotep; his son Khentekhtaihotep, justified. [6] Honored Senwosret, born to Iubet, justified, possessor of honor; [7] his wife, Sitwosret; his son Itjai, justified, possessor of honor; [8] his son Mentuwoser; his son Redisobek, justified; [9] his daughter Sithathor; his daughter Iti, justified; [10] his daughter Muutankh, justified; his daughter Iubet.
Purchased in Cairo from Dikran G. Kelekian, 1912.
Hayes, William C. 1953. Scepter of Egypt I: A Background for the Study of the Egyptian Antiquities in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: From the Earliest Times to the End of the Middle Kingdom. Cambridge, Mass.: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 177; p. 333, fig. 221.
Hayes, William C. 1959. Scepter of Egypt II: A Background for the Study of the Egyptian Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Hyksos Period and the New Kingdom (1675-1080 B.C.). Cambridge, Mass.: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 326.
Freed, Rita 1996. "Stela Workshops of Early Dynasty 12." In Studies in Honor of William Kelly Simpson, edited by Peter Der Manuelian.
Arnold, Dieter 2008. Middle Kingdom Tomb Architecture at Lisht, Publications of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian Expedition, 28. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 26,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from the Paleolithic to the Roman period.
