Statue of Metjetji

Never meant for pleasurable public viewing in a museum, this sculpture was religious in character and would have been seen by few Egyptians.

It comes from a mastaba, a funerary complex for the elite of 3rd-millennium B.C.E. Egypt. The deceased was buried in the mastaba's underground chamber. Located above were the mastaba's chapel and a small room for a statue like this one. Priests—usually the deceased's close relatives—left food before the sculpture. The deceased's vital force—the ka—would leave the mummy, enter the statue and absorb the essence of the food. The spirit of the deceased could thereby continue life in the hereafter.

In all likelihood, the sculpture does not reflect Metjetji's actually appearance. He is portrayed as young and vigorous, as befits a vessel for his vital force. He probably died an older man.

The dryness of the desert and safety of the mastaba helped preserve this statue for 4,500 years.