Tomb of Mereruka

 




Mereruka seated in front of an easel, with a brush in his right hand and a paint palette over his shoulder. He is painting the three seasons of the Egyptian year . They are shown in the form of three seated characters, each holding a cartouche enclosing four hieroglyphic crescent moons (the sign for "month") ; thus they symbolically represent the four months of each season. Starting at the end furthest from Mereruka, they are the seasons of : inundation (Akhet), accompanied by the hieroglyphic sign for "good" (nefer) ; germination (Peret), along with the sign for "offering" (hetep) ; finally, summer (Shemu), and the sign for "life" (ankh).


The indication is of Mereruka looking out from his tomb, painting whilst viewing the annual cycle of Egyptian life.
Forward of Mereruka, and in a smaller separate panel facing him, stands "His son, lector-priest and scribe of the God's Book, Khenu", his instruments in his hand.

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