Egypt, New Kingdom (1540–1069 BCE), Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep III (1390–1352 BCE) / c. 1391–1353 BCE
Statue of Minemheb
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Statue of Minemheb as sculpture (Egypt, New Kingdom (1540–1069 BCE), Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep III (1390–1352 BCE) · c. 1391–1353 BCE).
The baboon in this sculpture is the god Thoth in one of his animal forms.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as granodiorite.
The museum's collection notes: Minemheb was one of the many court officials who helped prepare for Amenhotep III's 30-year jubilee festival. Clearly, Minemheb regarded this as the high point of his career, since his title as chief of construction for the jubilee temple is the primary one provided on this statue. It is actually a statue within a statue: Minemheb kneels to present a small altar, upon which squats a statue of the god Thoth in baboon form. Carved in extremely hard stone, Minemheb's statue is nonetheless carefully detailed and superbly modeled. Special attention was given to the rendering of the baboon's face. The heavy-lidded eyes and furrowed brow give the an
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtStatue of MinemhebOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.