Antiquity · Cleveland Museum of Art · 1996.28
Statue of Minemheb
Unknown maker, c. 1391–1353 BCE
Cleveland Museum of Art · Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund · Public domain
- Artist
- Unknown maker
- Date
- c. 1391–1353 BCE
- Medium
- granodiorite
- Dimensions
- Overall: 45 x 16.6 x 28.3 cm (17 11/16 x 6 9/16 x 11 1/8 in.)
- Era
- Antiquity
Why it matters
Minemheb was one of the many court officials who helped prepare for Amenhotep III's 30-year jubilee festival. Clearly, Minemheb regarded this as the high point of his career, since his title as chief of construction for the jubilee temple is the primary one provided on this statue. It is actually a statue within a statue: Minemheb kneels to present a small altar, upon which squats a statue of the god Thoth in baboon form. Carved in extremely hard stone, Minemheb's statue is nonetheless carefully detailed and superbly modeled. Special attention was given to the rendering of the baboon's face. The heavy-lidded eyes and furrowed brow give the animal an almost contemplative expression.