Statuette of the Child Amenemhab

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Amenemhab is identified by his nudity as a very young boy. His closely cropped head is also an attribute of childhood, while the closed lotus bud he holds against his chest may allude to a hope of resurrection. The figure is remarkable for the sensitive rendering of the youthful body and childish face. The statuette was found inside the coffin of a woman named Ahhotep Tanodjmu (Ahhotep the sweet) together with a wooden statuette of a youth named Huwebenef (26.7.1414a, b). Both statuettes were dedicated by the boys' father, Djehuty. It is logical to assume that Ahhotep was the mother of the two youngsters. A fine scarab (26.7.575) was also found in the coffin.

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