Statue of Nehebut-kai
Culture: Egyptian
Period: Old Kingdom
Dynasty: Dynasty 4
Date: ca. 2613-2494 B.C.
Medium: Painted limestone
Dimensions:
h. 19 in. (48.3 cm); w. 7 in. (17.8 cm); d. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Lillie and Roy Cullen Endowment Fund
Object number: 99.22
Inscribed: One column of identical vertical text, written right to left, on either side of the figure:
rx-nsw nHbwt-kA
King’s acquaintance, Nehebut-ka
Additional information in curatorial file [S. Schellinger 2018]
Provenance: sold by Frederick Schultz (1954-), New York, to San Antonio Museum of Art, 1999
Label Text
Nehebut-kai, a name that translates “My-spirit-is-lotus-flowers,” is shown wearing a typical tight-fitting sheath dress with shoulder straps and v-neck. At her throat are a broad collar and the remains of a red and blue pendant necklace that terminates in two lotus flowers. She also wears blue bracelets on each arm and red and blue anklets with black trim. The sheer fabric of the linen dress reveals her full breasts and carefully delineated nipples. Two slight flesh folds are also shown between her navel and pubic triangle.
The hieroglyphic inscriptions record her name and title, “King’s acquaintance.” The hieroglyphs were carved into the stone and then filled with black pigment or charcoal. This particular technique was experimental, and occurs only during the reigns of Khufu (Cheops), builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza and his immediate successor, Djedefre, suggesting that Nehebut-kai’s statue was carved during the middle of the Fourth Dynasty.
(Gerry D. Scott, III, 2002)
The hieroglyphic inscriptions record her name and title, “King’s acquaintance.” The hieroglyphs were carved into the stone and then filled with black pigment or charcoal. This particular technique was experimental, and occurs only during the reigns of Khufu (Cheops), builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza and his immediate successor, Djedefre, suggesting that Nehebut-kai’s statue was carved during the middle of the Fourth Dynasty.
(Gerry D. Scott, III, 2002)
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
