An Egyptian Limestone Family Plaque, Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, ca. 1991 – 1786 BCE

This small limestone group presents three standing figures carved in raised relief against a rectangular back slab. The arrangement shows a man at left and two women to his right, a composition typical of Middle Kingdom family groupings dedicated to sustaining the deceased in the afterlife. Although the surface is worn, the man is distinguishable by his striding pose and wrap-around long kilt, marking him as the primary individual commemorated. The two women, both shown wearing sheath dresses, stand with feet together and arms at their sides, each rendered with the slender proportions characteristic of the period. Such groupings express the interdependence between the deceased and household members who acted as ritual supporters in the mortuary sphere. 

The base preserves traces of an offering formula, with the legible sections referencing “oxen,” “fowl,” and “sepulchral meals,” conventional provisions requested for the ka, or double, of the deceased. Notably, the text also appears to contain a partly preserved royal name tentatively identified as one of the three kings known as Senuseret (Sesostris). If this reading is correct, the plaque can be placed securely within the core of the 12th Dynasty.

Excavated at Beni Hassan, an important necropolis known for its rock-cut tombs and distinctive local workshop traditions, the piece reflects the quiet intimacy of funerary sculpture from this area.  Despite surface weathering, the essential forms are intact, and the inscription preserves enough detail to confirm its function as a family offering monument.

Medium: Limestone

Dimensions: Height:  5 x 3 1/8 x 4 1/2 inches (12.7 x 8 x 11.43 cm)

Condition: Surface worn with some erosion of facial features and the edges of the figures. The inscription on the base is faint and mostly illegible. Surface deposits and abrasions throughout. Otherwise intact, stable, and in good condition overall.

Provenance: Thilo & Izora Steinschulte Collection, Virginia; acquired in 1975 from Susette Khayat, New York, whose notes mention it was unearthed initially at Beni Hasan, Middle Egypt. Accompanied by a copy of the original collector and dealer notes.