Mastaba Tomb of Perneb | Old Kingdom | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (original) (raw)
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Old Kingdom
ca. 2381–2323 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 100
Late in Dynasty 5, the palace administrator Perneb built a tomb at Saqqara, twenty miles south of Giza. The tomb included an underground burial chamber and a limestone building called a mastaba. This contained a decorated offering chapel and a statue chamber, usually called a serdab. The mastaba facade and chapel were purchased from the Egyptian government in 1913 and, together with a replica of the statue chamber, were reconstructed at the entrance to the Museum's Egyptian galleries. Inside the chapel, the painted reliefs depict Perneb seated before an offering table receiving food and other goods from relatives and retainers. Actual offerings were placed on the slab set before the false door, through which Perneb's spirit could pass in order to receive sustenance.
Link to a series of videos about the tomb
The Tomb of Perneb at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Part 1
The Tomb of Perneb at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Part 2
The Tomb of Perneb at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Part 3
Link to a game CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
The Tomb of Perneb Interactive
Link to the Artist Project
Sarah Sze on the Tomb of Perneb
For more on the tomb chapel of Perneb, see the Curatorial Interpretation below.
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Title: Mastaba Tomb of Perneb
Period: Old Kingdom
Dynasty: Dynasty 5
Reign: reigns of Isesi to Unis
Date: ca. 2381–2323 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt, Memphite Region, Saqqara, Tomb of Perneb, Egyptian Antiquities Service/Quibell excavations
Medium: Limestone, paint
Dimensions: H. 482.2 cm (15 ft. 9 13/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1913
Object Number: 13.183.3
Connections: Doors
Exhibition designer Dan Kershaw talks about doors and the unexpected juxtapositions they create in the Museum.
Architecture and the Natural World
How can buildings reflect the relationship between people and the environment? Explore possibilities in this lesson plan featuring an ancient Egyptian temple.
- All Related Artworks
- In the same gallery
- Egyptian Art
- Limestone
- Mastabas
- From Africa
- From Egypt
- From Saqqara
- [From Upper Egypt](/art/collection/search?geolocation=Upper Egypt)
- [From 8000–2000 B.C.](/art/collection/search?era=8000-2000 B.C.)
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