Relief of Kha'emweset, son of pharaoh Ramses II
Relief of Kha'emweset, son of pharaoh Ramses II
Date19th Dynasty, reign of Ramses II (1279-1213 BCE)
Mediumlimestone
Dimensionsobject: 26 3/4 × 23 × 3/4 in. (67.9 × 58.4 × 1.9 cm)
weight: 125 lb. (56.7 kg)
ClassificationSCULPTURE
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Wright S. Ludington
Object number1978.4.24
Subject(s)
- men
- boys
- portraits
- inscription
Collection
- Antiquity
Sub-Collection(s)
- Egyptian
On View
On viewLabel TextKha’emweset was the son of the pharaoh Ramses II. He held the important title of High Priest of Ptah, the creator-god of Memphis, and oversaw the cult of the bull-god Apis. Here he wields the sekhem, a short staff signifying authority, and similar reliefs from roughly the same period suggest that he would have been seated in front of a table of offerings. The hieroglyphic text to the right reads ‘for [or of] the king’s son Ramessu, son of the [king’s] son, setem-priest, Kha’emweset’. It is likely that Ramessu is the small figure just visible at bottom right, since it was not unusual for tomb owners to be shown with family members at a smaller scale. In addition to his religious duties, Kha’emweset restored many Old Kingdom documents, leaving his and his father’s names on many inscriptions which commemorated this work.
India, West Bengal, Kolkata (Calcutta)
late 19th century
