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Statue of the craftsman Pendua and of his wife Nefertari

A well-known photograph from the Turin Egyptian museum’s historical archive portrays the moment of the discovery of this statue in Deir el-Medina. Since the sculpture must have originally stood in a funerary chapel, it was evidently found out of context. The texts on the back contain invocations to the Theban triad, Re-Harakhty, and the main gods of the netherworld. Further down are images of the children of the couple paying homage to their parents. The theme of the family in echoed by the slender figure of a daughter incised between Pendua and Nefertari. Carved in Theban while limestone, the statue is a testimony of the Deir el-Medina sculptors’ attention to fin detail. The carefully children features of the faces, as well as some slight asymmetries, are suggestive of an artist who was more used to carving reliefs than sculpture in the round.

S. 6127
Stone / limestone
80 x 51 x 44 cm
1292–1190 BCE
New Kingdom
Nineteenth Dynasty
Deir el-Medina
E. Schiaparelli
Sala 06 Vetrina 09
  • Andreu, Guillemette (a cura di), Gli artisti del faraone: Deir el-Medina e le Valli dei Re e delle Regine, Milano 2003, p. 114
    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Andreu, Guillemette (a cura di) Titolo=Gli artisti del faraone: Deir el-Medina e le Valli dei Re e delle Regine Sottotiolo= In= Collana= Opera= Luogo=Milano Anno=2003 Menzionato=p. 114 Illustrazione=
  • Heimann, Simone (Hrsg.), Ägyptens Schätze entdecken: Meisterwerke aus dem Ägyptischen Museum Turin, München - London - New York 2012, pp. 88-93
    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Heimann, Simone (Hrsg.) Titolo=Ägyptens Schätze entdecken: Meisterwerke aus dem Ägyptischen Museum Turin Sottotiolo= In= Collana= Opera= Luogo=München - London - New York Anno=2012 Menzionato=pp. 88-93 Illustrazione=
  • Trapani, Marcella, “The group-statue of Pendua and Nefertari: from the archaeological context to the M.A.I. ( Missione Archeologica Italiana) archives”, in Lopes, Maria Helena Trindade, Joanna Popielska-Grzybowska, Jadwiga Iwaszczuk, and Ronaldo Guilherme Gurgel Pereira (eds, Ancient Egypt 2017: perspectives of research, 2020, p. 253 e segg.
    Tipo=Atti di congressi SottoTipo= Autore=Trapani, Marcella Titolo=The group-statue of Pendua and Nefertari: from the archaeological context to the M.A.I. ( Missione Archeologica Italiana) archives Sottotiolo= Lopes, Maria Helena Trindade, Joanna Popielska-Grzybowska, Jadwiga Iwaszczuk, and Ronaldo Guilherme Gurgel Pereira (eds In=Ancient Egypt 2017: perspectives of research Collana= Opera= Luogo= Anno=2020 Menzionato=p. 253 e segg. Illustrazione=
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