Statue of Kai

The statue shows Kai sitting on a high-backed chair. He wears a shoulder length wig, decorated with horizontal rows of curls.

Each eye is framed in copper, while his eyebrows are in raised relief. The lips are thin and finely drawn. Below, he wears Usekh or Wesekh (broad) collar, composed of seven horizontal bands of blue and green.

Tear-shaped pendants hang from the final band of the collar, whilst a counterpoise can be seen at the back. The muscles of the body are well defined; his right arm is bent across the chest with his hand holding a folded cloth. The left arm is resting on his lap and he sports a short white kilt. 

Five lines of inscription on the base of the statue provide Kai’s titles, including the Steward of the Great Estate. Kai’s daughter can be seen sitting at her father’s left leg; she is wearing a wig and a fitted white dress, as well as a wesekh-collar of three bands.

Kai’s son can be seen standing, embracing the right leg of his father. He holds a finger to his mouth, a sign of childhood and has short, black hair.

Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty, ca. 2494-2345 BC. Limestone, from Giza necropolis. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 99128