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Relief fragment with king Khufu's cattle

Old Kingdom
ca. 2551–2528 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 103
These cattle with long, lyre-shaped horns are probably offerings for the funerary cult of Khufu. Such cattle were kept in herds that grazed in open grasslands in the Nile Delta or at the desert margin. The inscriptions over their backs mention the pharaoh's name but are otherwise difficult to translate; they seem to refer to outlying or foreign lands.

The austere but very sensitive style of relief carving and the gently rounded outlines, which let the figures blend beautifully with the background, are typical of Khufu's reign.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Relief fragment with king Khufu's cattle
  • Period: Old Kingdom
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 4
  • Reign: reign of Khufu
  • Date: ca. 2551–2528 B.C.
  • Geography: From Egypt, Memphite Region, Lisht North, Pyramid Complex of Amenemhat I, re-used as foundation of French mastaba, southwest corner of pyramid, MMA excavations, 1920–22
  • Medium: Limestone
  • Dimensions: H. 46 cm (18 1/8 in.); W. 137.5 cm (54 1/8 in.)
    Estimated weight: 290 lbs. (131.5 kg.)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922
  • Object Number: 22.1.3a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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