False door niche block of Merykhufu

False door niche block of Merykhufu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The inspector, priest, and king's acquaintance Merykhufu and his wife the king's acquatinance Nebuhotep are named and depicted as large figures on this false door niche block. On the left Merykhufu is accompanied by a boy who grasps his father's staff and is labeled 'his son Khnemhesu'; on the right a small girl labeled 'her daughter Nebuiret' turns back toward Nebuhetep. There are no positive indicators, but this block may date as early as the reign of Khufu. Merykhufu incorporates the name of the pharaoh Khufu in his own, although the pharaoh was admired and inspired a cult long after his death. However, the detailing at the ends of the Nebuhetep's tripartite wig is a very early feature.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

False door niche block of MerykhufuFalse door niche block of MerykhufuFalse door niche block of MerykhufuFalse door niche block of MerykhufuFalse door niche block of Merykhufu

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.