Shoulders and neck of a large figure of Dagi

Shoulders and neck of a large figure of Dagi


Period: Middle Kingdom

Dynasty: Dynasty 11

Reign: late reign of Mentuhotep II or later

Date: ca. 2010–2000 B.C. or ca. 2000–1981 B.C.

Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, Tomb of Dagi (TT 103, MMA 807), MMA excavations, 1911–12

Medium: Limestone, paint

Dimensions: H. 19.5 × W. 40.5 cm (7 11/16 × 15 15/16 in.)

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1912

Accession Number: 12.180.246

As a royal treasurer and vizier, Dagi was the highest official in the country under one or more kings of Dynasty 11. The fragmentary remains of what was once the elegant decoration of his tomb, unfortunately destroyed in antiquity, bear witness to his importance, and to the skill of the artists attached to the court of the Mentuhotep kings.

What remains of this block of relief depicts a large figure of Dagi himself, perhaps seated at a table of offerings. He wears an elaborate "broad" collar, called a wesekh, composed of cylinder beads with drop-shaped beads along the edge (see 22.1.249 for an actual example). Visible on either side of his neck is the cord of the cylinder seal that he would have used for official business.

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