Relief Fragment Depicting Ipi and Fowling in the Marshes
First Intermediate Period, Dynasty 10, about 2050 BCE
Medium
Limestone with traces of pigment
Dimensions
20.3 × 35.5 × 7.5 cm (8 × 14 × 3 in.)
Classification
architectural fragment
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
130065
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This lively scene depicts two men hiding behind a reed blind and pulling closed a clap net to snare birds. Four birds, which have escaped the net, fly from the pond in which lotus flowers and lotus pads float. Below, Ipi (the tomb’s owner) surveys other activities on his estate. His name and titles are written in hieroglyphs over his head.
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....