Statue of the craftsman Pendua and of his wife Nefertari
Unknown Artist
A well-known photograph from the Turin Egyptian museum's historical archive portrays the moment of the discovery of this statue in Deir el-Medina. Since the sculpture must have originally stood in a funerary chapel, it was evidently found out of context. The texts on the back contain invocations to the Theban triad, Re-Harakhty, and the main gods of the netherworld. Further down are images of the children of the couple paying homage to their parents. The theme of the family in echoed by the slender figure of a daughter incised between Pendua and Nefertari. Carved in Theban while limestone, the statue is a testimony of the Deir el-Medina sculptors' attention to fin detail. The carefully children features of the faces, as well as some slight asymmetries, are suggestive of an artist who was more used to carving reliefs than sculpture in the round.
Period: New Kingdom Dynasty: Nineteenth Dynasty Provenance: Deir el-Medina Acquisition: Schiaparelli excavations (1903-1906)