The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Roughly rectangular white painted limestone slab carved with a relief of Nyankhnesut, a high official seated facing our right, holding a staff out with his left hand, and a small item held over his hap with his right. He sits on a stool with four animal legs. The carving outlines his shoulder-length hair, rectangular beard on his chin, and a loop adorning his neck. He is depicted flattened and with few details.

Relief of Nyankhnesut Seated

c. 2311–2281 BCE

Egypt, Saqqara, Old Kingdom , Dynasty 6

(2647–2124 BCE)
painted limestone
Overall: 98.7 x 80.6 cm (38 7/8 x 31 3/4 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1930.735
Location: 107 Egyptian

Description

Nyankhnesut was a high official who lived during Dynasty 6 (2311-2281 BC). Reliefs from his tomb appeared on the art market in the early 20th century and are now dispersed in 15 museums and several private collections worldwide. Although the style of the carving indicates that the reliefs came from Saqqara, the tomb’s exact location in that great necropolis was not revealed until 2000 during excavations by the Egyptian government. The scenes center on food production and the provisioning of the tomb. As the tomb owner looks on, men bring in trays bearing bread and baskets of fruit. Others bring live poultry or lead in animals, both wild (antelope) and domesticated (oxen) for sacrifice. The largest, most important relief depicts agricultural scenes. The farmer’s activities are labeled: "sowing" and "plowing" in the upper register, "pulling flax" below. In the center, a man plays the flute to entertain the harvesters. Directly below him, a man stretches out his arms, holding a sickle and an ear of grain, exclaiming, "What a beautiful day." Detailed and lively scenes such as these magically ensured an everlasting supply of food for the deceased.
  • Saqqara, tomb of Nyankhnesut. Purchased from Dr. Jacob Hirsch through Harold Parsons
  • "Old Kingdom Reliefs of Ancient Egypt." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 17, no. 10. (December 1930): 187-190 Reproduced: front cover; Mentioned: p. 188 www.jstor.org
    Milliken, William. "Silver Jubilee Exhibition." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 28, no.6 (June 1941): 88-108 Mentioned: p. 91; Reproduced: p. 101 www.jstor.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Martha L. Carter. Egyptian Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: The Museum, 1963. Reproduced: p. 4; Mentioned: p. 5 archive.org
    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. 135; Mentioned: p. 135-136
  • CMA, June 1941, Silver Jubilee Exhibition, cat.: CMA Bulletin 28, no. 6 (June 1941), p. 91, illus. p. 101
  • {{cite web|title=Relief of Nyankhnesut Seated|url=false|author=|year=c. 2311–2281 BCE|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.735