Paddle Doll
1 of 6
Object Label
The term paddle doll dates to archaeologists’ first discovery of such objects in the early twentieth century. Today, Egyptologists understand these objects not as dolls, but as representations of musicians who doubled as midwives. The necklaces they wear represent a musical instrument called a menat in Egyptian.
The Egyptians considered music to be a therapeutic or even magical element aiding childbirth. When these images were included in the tomb, they could help ease the pain of rebirth into the next life.
Caption
Paddle Doll, ca. 2008–1630 B.C.E.. Wood, pigment, 8 7/8 x 2 7/16 x 1/4 in. (22.6 x 6.2 x 0.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.103E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.103E_front_PS4.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Title
Paddle Doll
Date
ca. 2008–1630 B.C.E.
Period
Middle Kingdom
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Wood, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
8 7/8 x 2 7/16 x 1/4 in. (22.6 x 6.2 x 0.6 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.103E
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Why are these called a dolls?
I believe the term doll was assigned to this type of object because of the abbreviated human form similar to a toy. The term has endured even though we not know that they were not toys, but that they were likely associated with music.
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