Stela of Amenemhat and Yatu

Description

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.

Provenance

The Art Institute of Chicago, acquired in Egypt, 1892; purchased with funds provided by Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson, 1892.

Stela of Amenemhat and Yatu

Ancient Egyptian

Middle Kingdom, late Dynasty 12–early Dynasty 13, about 1870–1770 BCE

Accession Number

127894

Medium

Limestone and pigment

Dimensions

62.3 × 45.8 × 9.6 cm (24 1/2 × 18 × 3 3/4 in.)

Classification

Stelae

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson