Image Resource Bank
Image Gallery | 
4 of 15 
Statue of an Egyptian Man and His Wife
This early Egyptian statue, of about the same date as the Mesopotamian worshipper figures, shows different skin colors for a man and his wife. The man, Nen-khefet-ka, has reddish-orange skin, while his wife Nefer-shemes is pale yellow. Was the ancient sculptor representing an ethnic difference?
In fact, most Old Kingdom statues distinguished between the genders using skin color, probably a statement that elite women did not work in the sun.
INSCRIPTION: Overseer of Commissions, King's Acquaintance, Chief of the Southern Goat City, Royal Priest, King's Acquaintance, Nen-khefet-ka.
Name: Statue of an Egyptian Man and His Wife
Material: Limestone, pigment
Size: Height: 69 cm (2 ft 3 in)
Date: 2414-2347 BCE, Old Kingdom, Dynasty 5, Reign of Menkauhor and Unis
Place of Origin: Deshasheh, Egypt
Location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago, Illinois
Source and Registration#: Oriental Institute Museum 2036 A-B
Geoff Emberling
Former Chief Curator, Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago
