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 a Man Carrying a Papyrus Bundle
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 relief depicts a worker struggling to lift a huge bundle of green papyrus stalks. The complete scene would have shown the construction of papyrus boats, a type of watercraft commonly used for fishing and fowling in the marshes. The dynamism with which the fleeting movement of an ordinary worker is depicted sharply contrasts with the more static representations of kings and deities, who were posed for eternity.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
