<em>Statue of Queen Ankhnes-meryre II and Her Son, Pepy II</em>, ca. 2288–2224 or 2194 B.C.E. Egyptian alabaster (calcite), pigment, 15 7/16 x 9 13/16 in. (39.2 x 24.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 39.119. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.119_front_SL1.jpg)

Statue of Queen Ankhnes-meryre II and Her Son, Pepy II, ca. 2288–2224 or 2194 B.C.E. Egyptian alabaster (calcite), pigment, 15 7/16 x 9 13/16 in. (39.2 x 24.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 39.119. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.119_front_SL1.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Statue of Queen Ankhnes-meryre II and Her Son, Pepy II

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

About this Brooklyn Icon
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.

This iconic Egyptian alabaster statue depicts queen Ankhnes-meryre II with her son, king Pepy II, on her lap. Pepy is depicted as a miniature adult dressed in kingly attire, including a nemes headdress. The arrangement of these figures is unusual because the Egyptian king is rarely portrayed smaller than another individual. Pepy became king very young, and Ankhnes-meryre ruled Egypt until he was of age. The statue’s arrangement refers to the coregency shared by mother and son, while subtly casting Ankhnes-meryre as the more important figure.

Ankhnes-meryre wears a vulture headdress associated with goddesses and queenship. The hole at the center would have held a tiny cobra of metal, stone, or wood, now lost. The king and queen have their own inscriptions, which include identifying names and titles. Both are described as “beloved of the god Khnum,” suggesting that this statue was installed in a temple or shrine on the island of Elephantine, the sacred place of the ram god Khnum.

***

Gallery Label

Pepy II became king as a small child, so his mother acted as regent. This statue conveys her role, evoking the typical Egyptian pose of a mother nursing a child. Pepy is shown as a miniature king rather than a child and, instead of nursing him, the queen holds him protectively as he clasps her hand. Each figure looks straight ahead and has its own inscription, as if it were a separate statue.

MEDIUM Egyptian alabaster (calcite), pigment

Possible Place Collected: Upper Egypt, Egypt

DATES ca. 2288–2224 or 2194 B.C.E.

DYNASTY Dynasty 6

PERIOD Old Kingdom

DIMENSIONS 15 7/16 x 9 13/16 in. (39.2 x 24.9 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 39.119

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not yet documented; before 1880, possibly purchased near Akhmim by Elie or Michel Abemayor of Cairo, Egypt; before 1890, reportedly purchased from Elie or Michel Abemayor by Jacques Matossian of Alexandria, Egypt; by 1939, acquired by Marguerite and Paul Mallon of Paris, France and New York, NY; 1939, purchased from Marguerite and Paul Mallon by the Brooklyn Museum.

Provenance FAQ

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Seated alabaster statue of Queen Cnh-n.s’-Mry-rc holding in her lap a small figure of King Nfr-k3-rc (Pepy II) on simple block throne; inscription in one column and one row at Queen’s feet, one column at King’s feet. Condition: Practically perfect. Very slight chips, apparently recent, along right edge of inscription at Queen’s feet; left arm of Queen apparently broken off in antiquity and reassembled, considerably weathered, large fragment missing from arm to wrist. Opening in the forehead of Queen presumably for head of the Vulture headdress which is missing. Various brown deposits on back of throne and organic deposits in the hieroglyphs and in details of bodies. Crack runs almost midway through the headdress and face of Queen probably a natural cleavage in the stone. Two drill marks behind Queen’s feet.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Statue of Queen Ankhnes-meryre II and Her Son, Pepy II, ca. 2288–2224 or 2194 B.C.E. Egyptian alabaster (calcite), pigment, 15 7/16 x 9 13/16 in. (39.2 x 24.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 39.119. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.119_front_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE front, 39.119_front_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.