Name of Artifact: The King’s Acquaintances Memi and Sabu
Original Country: Egypt
Year of Production: Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4 (ca. 2575-2465 B.C.)‌
Location Now: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Background Information:‌
This pair of figures represents Memi and Sabu, who are generally understood to be husband and wife, although the position of their names in the inscription does not clearly identify each person. Their common title, “King’s Acquaintance,” is an honorary one, entailing no specific responsibilities, but connecting them to the royal court. The man’s position and greater height would normally indicate that he is the sculpture’s focus, but the woman’s sideways gaze, focusing elsewhere within the tomb chapel where this statue would have been installed, suggests that she is equally important. Whatever the original intention, the work conveys an unusually strong sense of intimacy. A close family relationship, such as that of husband and wife, mother and daughter, or two siblings, can be acknowledged in ancient Egyptian sculpture and relief by an intimate gesture. With paired spouses, the woman is often the one who reaches out, placing her arm around her spouse’s waist or shoulder. Only in rare cases such as this one does the man return this affectionate embrace. The placement of his hand over his wife’s breast is unusual but is known from another sculpture of paired spouses as well as a representation of a queen embracing her adult daughter.