Art Institute of Chicago

Stela of Amenemhat and Yatu

Egyptian; possibly Memphis, Egypt

Date

Middle Kingdom, late Dynasty 12–early Dynasty 13, about 1870–1770 BCE

Medium

Limestone and pigment

Culture

Egypt

Department

Arts of Africa

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This round-topped stela (or commemorative monument) depicts a mother and son surrounded by the objects they hoped to use in the afterlife. The mother, Yatu, and her son, Amenemhat, sit in chairs with oversized cosmetic containers placed underneath. The distinctive flared shape of the white and red vessel beneath Yatu indicates that it holds ointment. Under Amenemhat’s seat, a thin, white applicator sticks out of a blue jar containing eye paint called kohl. The vessel’s color suggests that it is carved out of anhydrite, a fashionable choice for cosmetic vessels during the Middle Kingdom period when this mother and son lived.

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