This relief was originally part of the left side of a massive door lintel that depicted the pharaoh Senwosret I (left) performing a running ritual in front of the fertility god Min (right). Running rituals are generally connected with the Sed festival, a renewal rite that the king ideally celebrated after thirty years on the throne. The vertical inscription in front of Min includes the promise that the deity will grant the king such a milestone. The king carries an oar and an angled nautical object, which can be associated with the Sed festival; behind him are three semicircular objects representing the symbolic markers between which he runs. The piece is notable for its beautiful modeling and extremely fine detail, characteristics of the best Twelfth Dynasty relief work.

Lintel of Senwosret I Running Toward the God Min | Middle Kingdom | The Metropolitan Museum of Art