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Original fileStatuette of Khnumhotep
Statuette of Khnumhotep Receiving Offerings
About This Work
This diorite statuette depicts a man seated in a cross-legged, scribe-like pose. He has a shaven head with hair indicated by carved lines, large rounded ears, and a calm, frontal gaze. His right hand rests flat on his lap, while his left hand is placed over his chest in a gesture of reverence. He is draped in a simple garment that covers his shoulders, with an offering text inscribed across his thighs.
The statue functions as a funerary object designed to receive eternal offerings of food and drink for the deceased, a core practice in Egyptian mortuary cults to sustain the 'ka' in the afterlife. It reflects the Middle Kingdom tradition of the 'scribe statue,' emphasizing the deceased's literacy and service to the state.
Inscriptions(Egyptian)
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs spanning the lap area.
Translation
An offering which the king gives (to) Osiris, Lord of Busiris, that he may give invocation offerings (of) bread and beer, oxen and fowl, to the Ka of the scribe Khnumhotep, justified.