Background:

Dwarfs were very famous among the Egyptians. They were often found in relieves of the 5th and 6th dynasties but rarely in sculptor in the round. There are two types of dwarfs.

The first type is the Egyptian dwarf who suffers from some kind of deformity. They were entrusted with certain tasks such as amusement of their masters, maintenance of the royal wardrobe, gold smiths, artisans..

The second type is the African pygmies. They are small in size by nature but normally built. They worked as dancers in the temples. They were mentioned for the first time during the reign of Pepi II. Seneb is one of the Egyptian dwarfs. Seneb was a famous dwarf in the royal palace. He was chief of all dwarfs and entrusted with the royal wardrobe. He was also involved in priesthood especially in funerary cult of King Khufu and king Jedefre. He was also considered as a royal tutor. We also we learned from the false door of his tomb; exhibited with the show case that Seneb was well off. He is also represented sailing with his family like nobles. As for his wife Senet she held titles such as the well known to the king and the priests of Hathor and Nieth. She was a normal lady most probably from the royal palace yet Seneb was allowed to marry her due to his favored position.

The statue:

The statue represents him and his family. It was found in his tomb at Giza in 1926-1927 by Junker. They were made out of painted limestone and date back to the end of 4th dynasty and the beginning of 5th dynasty. The statue was originally inside a naos which lies in the same show. It was closed with a facing stone. Also some alabaster vases were found probably used in the form of offerings. They are represented seated on a stool. He is represented with his real short cut hair. His hands are laid over one another. The sculptor made his head large in order to equal the measures with the statue of his wife. The torso is wide in comparison with the arms. Under his legs there are the small figures of his naked son and daughter occupying the space for his legs to give the impression of a normal man. Either the artist did that to neglect the difference in size between him and his wife or to show that his children are still under his protection or that they will be his support in his old age or to make balance in the statue. He is represented wearing a kilt in a squatting position.

His wife is represented sitting beside him wearing a thick hair wig with her real hair appearing on her forehead. The smile on her face reflects her satisfaction. She is represented putting her right hand on his right shoulder embracing him with her other arm as a sign of love. She is wearing a narrow a tight dress with long sleeves. She is represented barefoot.

The children are represented naked with all signs of childhood that it is easy to differentiate between them. They are putting their fingers in their mouth with aside lock of hair. They are painted according to typical ancient Egyptian rules. Their names are inscribed beside them. sA.f anx maA Dd.f ra which means my life is in the hand of jdefre. His daughter sAt.f Awt ib n x.f wy which means happy is the hear of king khufu or happiness is the heart of Khufu. The inscription beside the feet of Senet proves that she is a member of the royal family, mt.f rxt nswt snt which means the royal acquaintance Senet. The names of kings in the children’s names are replaced in cartouches as a respectful manner towards the kings. The title of Seneb is m nTr xw.f w which means the priest of Khufu, m nTr dd.f ra which means the priest of jedefre and m nTr wAdyt which means the priest of goddess wadject, Seneb. The statue is considered a masterpiece because it tells us about dwarfs in ancient Egypt and also shows the skill of the artist in making a balance in the statue.