Digital Giza | Limestone relief from tomb of Senenuka

Object(s) photograph: Site: Giza; view: G 2041

Part of wall from tomb of Senenuka; nine blocks fitting together and including two niches (false doors); lower left piece smooth limestone (uninscribed false door); upper far left preliminary black ink sketch and to right of sketch finished relief of two figures seated at offering table (false door tablet); central piece has large scene of seated male figure to left and other smaller male figure to right; upper far right standing figure in relief outline and to left finished relief of two figures seated at offering table (false door tablet). (Combined from 07.1000, 07.1001, 07.1003, 07.1004, 07.1005)

ID: MFAB_07.1001
Alternate IDs: 07.1001; MFAB_07.1001
Department: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Classification: Architectural elements-Relief
Period: Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, reign of Khufu or reign of Khafre
Entry Date: about 2551–2494 B.C.
Title: Limestone relief from tomb of Senenuka
Medium: Limestone
Credit Line: Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Provenance: Mastaba G 2041, chapel, W wall
Notes: This object was excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition, but was not recorded in any object register book. 1905-1906: Excavated by the Harvard University–Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; 1907: assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Egypt.
Remarks: Senenuka, nicknamed Keki, was royal architect and mayor of the town surrounding Khufu's pyramid at Giza. This is the west wall of his tomb chapel, containing an offering scene in the center, with Senenuka at table, and butchery scenes to the right. A false door is carved at either end of the wall. The horizontal lines of text above contain lists of offerings for Senenuka's mortuary cult. The unfinished wall preserves four separate stages of the ancient process of tomb decoration: 1) a smoothed limestone surface (false door at left); 2) preliminary figures sketched in black ink (upper left standing figure); 3) rough outline carving prior to smoothing and modeling (upper right female standing figure), and 4) the sculptor's final product (the rest of the wall). The final stage of tomb decoration was the painting of the hieroglyphs and scenes in bright primary colors. Nine fitting blocks of relief accessioned as MFA 07.1000 + MFA 07.1001 + MFA 07.1003 + MFA 07.1004 + MFA 07.1005.