Chair of Renyseneb
Chair of Renyseneb, ca. 1450
B.C.; mid-Dynasty 18;
New Kingdom
Egyptian
Ebony, ivory; H. 35 in. (86.2 cm)
Purchase, Patricia R. Lassalle Gift, 1968 (68.58)
Description
"The back of this wooden chair, which belonged to the scribe Renyseneb, is handsomely veneered with ivory and embellished with incised decoration showing the owner seated on a chair of identical form. It is the earliest surviving chair with such a representation, and it is the only nonroyal example known. The scene and accompanying text have funerary import and may have been added following Renyseneb's death to make the chair a more suitable funerary object. The high quality of its joinery and the harmony of its proportions testify to the skill of ancient Egyptian carpenters. The mesh seat has been restored following ancient models." - MET
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