Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Relief of an Elite Woman of the Provinces
Middle Kingdom
Not on view
This object is not part of The Met collection. It was in the Museum for a special exhibition and has been returned to the lender.
This lavishly attired, elegant woman belonged to a procession of family members attending the nomarch (regional governor) Djehutyhotep II. An identifying inscription has not survived, but she was likely a sister or daughter. The fine artistry of the relief attests to the wealth commanded by regional leaders during the first half of the Twelfth Dynasty. After that period, the office of nomarch died out and with it the richly painted tombs of the Middle Egypt region.