Flanking an Egyptian hieroglyphic royal name inscribed in a cartouche, these two feminine figures are the daughters of Princess Meritites. She also was King Khufu’s daughter, the king buried in the Great Pyramid of Giza. The relief comes from a tomb located near the pyramid, where Meritites and her husband, Akhtihotep, an important official serving at the king’s palace, are buried. As always in Ancient Egyptian art, text and images are strongly connected.

Here, this beautifully carved block was meant to show the couple’s children paying respect to their parents, while mentioning the name of the King, their grandfather. In this single piece, we have three generations represented, showing that Meritites and her husband were part of the elite of Egyptian society and that their funerary cult would be perpetuated through their descendants.