Merenptah was a priest of the goddess Bastet and a “Divine Father.” He appears on many stelae in the Serapeum, the cult-place of the Apis-bull in Saqqara. The geometric simplification of the body draws attention to the face, which shows “archaizing” echoes of the late Middle Kingdom style, notably in the shape of the wig, the large ears, and the fleshy face that reveals the underlying bone structure, with no traces of makeup and accentuated features.