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Art Institute of Chicago

Spotted

Ancient Egyptian — Stela of Amenemhat and Yatu

Ancient Egyptian

Stela of Amenemhat and Yatu

-1870

This round-topped stela (or commemorative monument) depicts a mother and son surrounded by the objects they hoped to use in the afterlife. The mother, Yatu, and her son, Amenemhat, sit in chairs with oversized cosmetic containers placed underneath. The distinctive flared shape of the white and red vessel beneath Yatu indicates that it holds ointment. Under Amenemhat’s seat, a thin, white applicator sticks out of a blue jar containing eye paint called kohl. The vessel’s color suggests that it is carved out of anhydrite, a fashionable choice for cosmetic vessels during the Middle Kingdom period when this mother and son lived.

Medium
Limestone and pigment
Dimensions

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Spotted works by Ancient Egyptian

About this work

Ancient Egyptian, Stela of Amenemhat and Yatu, -1870

This round-topped stela (or commemorative monument) depicts a mother and son surrounded by the objects they hoped to use in the afterlife. The mother, Yatu, and her son, Amenemhat, sit in chairs with oversized cosmetic containers placed underneath. The distinctive flared shape of the white and red vessel beneath Yatu indicates that it holds ointment. Under Amenemhat’s seat, a thin, white applicator sticks out of a blue jar containing eye paint called kohl. The vessel’s color suggests that it is carved out of anhydrite, a fashionable choice for cosmetic vessels during the Middle Kingdom period when this mother and son lived.

Medium
Limestone and pigment
Dimensions
45.8 x 9.6 cm
Year
-1870
Seen at
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Related themes

Monochrome, Limestone, Relief, Pigment, Religious, Hieroglyphic, Funerary, Ancient, Egyptian, Formal

More works by Ancient Egyptian

Collected by

Art Institute of Chicago