Statuette of Reniseneb

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This small wooden sculpture depicts a young girl. Her youth is signified through the braided lock on the side of her head, which was customary for children in ancient Egypt. Underneath her tight-fitting dress her body is clearly shown. Her arms were made as separate pieces; on her left side is still the ancient peg that served to attach her now missing left arm. The high quality of the piece is apparent in the delicate modelling of the facial features. The figurine is inserted into a separately made rectangular base. On its top are three lines of a hieroglyphic inscription, which gives her name as Reniseneb, and also mentions her mother, Wesermut.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.

Metropolitan Museum of Art