Location

107 Egyptian

Description

The ancient Egyptians used wooden headrests as pillows. Stone headrests were replicas made for the tomb. This example is inscribed on the top of the supporting column for "the king’s noblewoman, Irut."

Provenance

Purchased in Egypt by Lucy Olcott Perkins through Henry W. Kent

Citations

"The Egyptian Collection." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 1, no. 1 (1914): 2 Reproduced: p. 3; mentioned: p. 2 www.jstor.org

Capel, Anne K., and Glenn Markoe, eds. Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven: Women in Ancient Egypt. New York, NY: Hudson Hills Press, 1996. Mentioned and Referenced: p. 156-157

Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced: p. 145; Mentioned: p. 145-146

Exhibition history

CMA 1916, no. 70, p. 211, pl. 339;

San Francisco, Palace of the Legion of Honor, 16 June-16 July 1942, Vanity Fair, no. 222;

Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven: Women in Ancient Egypt
. The Cincinnati Art Museum (organizer) (October 19, 1996-January 15, 1997); The Brooklyn Museum (February 20-May 18, 1997).

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Headrest of Irut

Egypt, Old Kingdom, Dynasties 5-6, 2454–2140 BCE

Location

Description