Sheet
Unknown Artist
ca. 1492–1473 B.C.
Medium
Linen, ink
Dimensions
L. 496 cm (195 1/4 in.); w. 154 cm (60 5/8 in.)
Classification
Sheet, inscribed, weavers marks, linen mark, fine spin, fine weave
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.3.101
Art Historical Context
This remarkable linen sheet, dating to the early New Kingdom's Dynasty 18 (ca. 1492–1473 B.C.), hails from a golden age of ancient Egypt when pharaohs like Thutm III expanded the empire and monumental art flourished. Measuring an impressive 496 cm long and 154 cm wide, it dwarfs modern bedsheets, hinting at its ceremonial or practical role in a society where linen—prized for its fineness from the Nile's flax—was a symbol of purity and elite status. Inked inscriptions, likely in hieroglyphs or hieratic script, adorn its surface, showcasing the Egyptians' mastery of waterproof carbon-based inks ...