Wall Painting Fragment with a Man Holding a Kherep Sceptre

This figure was painted for the tomb of two sculptors. The tomb, numbered TT181, lies at el-Khokha on the west bank at Thebes and was shared by Nebamun and Ipuky, who both carried the title of sculptor to the king in the time of Amenhotep III, in the 14th century BC. Its walls are known for scenes of craftsmen at work and for the mourners at the funeral. The man on this fragment is dressed as for a feast. On his curled wig sits a cone of scented fat, he wears a broad usekh collar, bracelets and a small beard, and in his hand he holds a kherep, a short sceptre whose name meant to direct or to control, carried by men with authority. The Société des Amis du Louvre, the museum's society of friends, bought it for the Egyptian department and gave it in 2002, and it hangs in the Sully wing room covering the New Kingdom up to Amenhotep III.