Egypt Museum

The superintendent Tef-Ib

“The revered before Dwe-mutf, the Domain-Superintendent, Itf-ib, engendered by Itf-ib, the blessed, Lord of Reverence.”

These wooden figures of a man named Tef-Ib were discovered within his tomb. Although all representing Tef-Ib, they also hold the inscriptions of the Four Sons of Horus, usually associated with the Canopic jars, as they were deemed protectors of the internal organs of the dead.

Despite all figures of Tef-Ib, he is depicted in varied wigs and slightly different facial features. The Walters Art Museum, where these figures now resides, proposes the difference may indicate different artists for each statue, however it is also possible that the artist just created different styles for him.

Dating from around 1980 B.C., the figures are therefore of the Middle Kingdom period, and the style in which they were created does showcase this.

The superintendent Tef-Ib
“These deities were also identified with the north, south, east, and west, and the statues may have been placed in the tomb in accordance with these directions.”Walters Art Museum. 22.12
The superintendent Tef-Ib. Walters Art Museum. 22.11
Walters Art Museum. 22.11
Walters Art Museum. 21.10
Walters Art Museum. 21.10
Walters Art Museum. 22.13
Walters Art Museum. 22.13

Summary:
Wooden funerary statues of the superintendent Tef-Ib
Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, c. 1980 B.C.
From Asyut, excavations of Said Bey Kashaba.
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1922. Walters Art Museum. 21.10, 21.11, 21.12, 21.13

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