Minneapolis Institute of Art
False door
EgyptLinkedCulture matchlcp-54e9a4d3c57c
- Date
- about 2400 BCE
- Medium
- Limestone
- Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
- Department
- Arts of Global Africa
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Object ID
- 1230
A false door, built into the west wall of the tomb chapel, was the focal point of the cult of the deceased in ancient Egypt. This was the interface between the world of the living and the world of the dead, where visitors came to say prayers and deposit offerings for the spirit of the deceased, whose soul could pass through the door. The inscriptions on this door commemorate the priest Iryenakhet (year-ee-en-AH-ket), who is depicted seven times. The central niche is framed by two door jambs and a lintel in a composition ruled by symmetry. The normal direction of Egyptian writing was from right to left, with the hieroglyphs facing right, but here the hieroglyphs on the right jamb face left (as do the figures), toward the niche. Ancient Egyptian, Africa
The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Minneapolis Institute of Art and other institutions.