Pseudo-group statue of Penmeru From Giza, Tomb G, Dyn.5, 2465–2323 B.C.E. Painted limestone, Size: 155 x 105 cm, 532.98 kg (61 x 41 5/16 in., 1175 lb.) Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition, 1912; MFA #12.1484 Photo ©Joan Ann Lansberry, 2014

"This unusual statue features three adults and two children emerging from a rectangular frame that resembles a doorway. Penmeru occupies the central position, while his wife, Meretites, stands beside him with her arm around his shoulder. The couple's son and daughter stand on either side of Penmeru, each grasping one of his legs. The children are protrayed in typical Egyptian manner - nude and wearing short hair with a single, long sidelock."(From Info Card) Central Penmeru... Photos ©Joan Ann Lansberry, 2014 Left side Penmeru... "The man on the left (from the viewer's perspective) is identical to Penmeru except for the style of his kilt. Oddly, he does not interact with the group. Although we might expect him to be unrelated to the others, the inscription identifies him as a second figure of Penmeru. This is therefore an example of a 'pseudo-group,' in which the same person appears more than once. Statues of this type appear only for a short period in dynasties 5 and 6. Scholars do not agree on why tomb-owners at this time included multiple images of themselves in a single statue." (From Info Card) Penmeru's wife Meretites... Photos ©Joan Ann Lansberry, 2014

One of Penmeru's children...

Part of top row of text. We see the name of Penmeru to our left.

Upper right text... Middle right text... Lower right text... Lower left text, we can read "Penmeru" on the left... Photos ©Joan Ann Lansberry, 2014

Seeking to know more about the inscriptions on this piece, I took to the Google book search and found another inscription involving this Penmeru. "With regard to my brother of my funerary estate, the soul priest Neferhotep and his children of father or mother, they are to be the soul priests of my funerary estate responsible for the invocation offerings for my tomb of eternity in the necropolis of the pyramid of Khufu; they are also those who bring to me the reversionary offerings of my sovereign, the visier Seshem-nefer." ("Disposition of the Funerary Estate of Penmeru in His Tomb at Giza", Texts from the Pyramid Age, edited by Ronald J. Leprohon, pages 200-201) Could the mysterious person to the left of the central male figure represent "the soul priest Neferhotep" once he too passed onto the Duat?