Relief from the Tomb of Ny-ankh-Nesut

This painted relief depicts a procession of servants carrying sacrificial gifts to the dead, led by the figure at the right, the priest Ankh-em-sa-ef. The tomb's occupant, Ny-ankh-Nesut, was Leader of Boats and High Priest of Heliopolis, the principal seat of sun worship in Ancient Egypt.

Above the six processional figures is a row of hieroglyphics indicating the gifts; only a small portion of the right-most text is visible, translated as "wooden," and may refer to a club or musical instrument, such as is shown in the right-most figure's hands. Further hieroglyphics, from left to right, have been deciphered as: "He lives from His Majesty['s Grace]"; "The royal scribe of the palace documents, brother of eternity"; "The prince of .!.!."; "The prince of [location]"; "The prince of [?] coming to his life/nourishment"; and "He was a prince of peace."

This work is one of over thirty reliefs from the same tomb found in American and Swiss museum collections. The AMAM's collection of Egyptian art numbers over fifty pieces, including sculpture, small bronzes and faïence, necklaces, and other works of art.