Yuny and his wife Renenutet

Unknown (Egyptian)

Item type:

sculpture

Date of creation:

ca. 1294-1279 BCE

Height:

84.5 cm  (33 1/4 in.)

Width:

54.5 cm  (21 7/16 in.)

Depth:

73.0 cm  (28 3/4 in.)

Technique / Medium:

limestone, paint

Place of creation:

Egypt (former nation/state/empire)

School:

Ramesside period

Description

From the Metropolitan Museum website: These figures represent Yuny seated next to his wife Renenutet. Yuny, who lived in the city of Asyut, was a chief royal scribe and holder of many other offices, perhaps including that of physician. Additional inscriptions on the base of the statue further elaborate Yuny's responsibilities. On the center fold of Yuny's pleated skirt is an inscription that reads: "May everything that comes forth upon the offering table of [the god] . . . and all pure food that comes forth from the Great Enclosure [the temple complex at Heliopolis] be for the chief scribe, royal scribe of letters, Yuny, justified."

Renenutet affectionately places her right arm around her husband's shoulders. On the back of the statue she is described as a singer of Amun-Re. In her left hand, she holds by its metal counterweight a heavy bead necklace called a menat. Menat necklaces were ritual implements that were held in the hands and shaken like cymbals, especially in the service of the goddess Hathor, but also when entering the presence of other deities.

Iconclass

48C75512
female singer
12C13(AMON-RE)79
Amon-Re, god of the sun - veneration, honouring of non-Christian god or goddess

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Rattle [3036]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

RIdIM record id

4295