Archaeological Museum of Bologna

In Egyptian art, since the time of the origin, is attested the typology of embraced spouses: is connected to the hope of seeing reconstituted in the afterlife the family and the habits of life.
The spouses of this group of statues, in limestone, are the "first prophet of Ptah" Amenhotep and the"musician of Amon" Merit in the company of their eight children, four females and four males, whose figures are carved in high relief on the throne on which sit the parents.

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Amenhotep, whose complexion is rendered with the brick-red colour used for men, is wearing a long skirt, a wig and the false beard that identifies him as deceased; Merit, whose skin is the soft yellow colour typically used for women, wears a long close-fitting tunic and a wig that conceals her shoulders. The work is thought to be Theban in origin due to the names and titles of the figures.

Provenance: Thebes (?). Palagi Collection
Datation: New Kingdom: late 18th – early 19th dynasty (1539–1190 BC)
Material: Painted limestone
Dimensions: height cm 79
Inventory #: EG 1814