Curses Against the Pharisees (Imprécations contre les pharisiens)
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
The Egyptians manufactured funerary figurines, originally called shabties, as early as Dynasty 12 (1932–1759 B.C.E.). The earliest shabties are inscribed with either the deceased’s name (see nos. 1 and 2) or a simple form of Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. The rarity and high quality of the early shabties suggest that they were costly items produced for privileged persons.
Later, Chapter 6 began appearing more frequently on funerary figurines. The text mentions that they do agricultural tasks for the dead person: irrigating the fields, cultivating crops, and clearing away sand that blew in from the nearby desert.
As substitutes for the deceased, these figurines were sometimes given their own sarcophagi (see no. 6). To emphasize the agricultural function of the figurines, hoes and grain baskets were added to them (no. 8).
Wood (nos. 9–11), stone (nos. 12–14, 16), faience (no. 17), metal, and other materials were used beginning in Dynasty 18. By the end of the New Kingdom, statuettes for a single person were often mold-made by the hundreds and even thousands. Faience became the medium of choice, first in blue and later in light green or light blue (nos. 17, 20, 21).
Caption
James Tissot Nantes, France, 1836–1902, Chenecey–Buillon, France. Curses Against the Pharisees (Imprécations contre les pharisiens), 1886–1896. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 6 3/8 x 9 3/8 in. (16.2 x 23.8 cm) Sheet: 6 3/8 x 9 3/8 in. (16.2 x 23.8 cm) Frame: 16 7/8 x 22 7/8 x 1 1/2 in. (42.9 x 58.1 x 3.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.142. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.142_PS2.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Curses Against the Pharisees (Imprécations contre les pharisiens)
Date
1886–1896
Geography
Place made: France
Medium
Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
Classification
Dimensions
Image: 6 3/8 x 9 3/8 in. (16.2 x 23.8 cm) Sheet: 6 3/8 x 9 3/8 in. (16.2 x 23.8 cm) Frame: 16 7/8 x 22 7/8 x 1 1/2 in. (42.9 x 58.1 x 3.8 cm)
Signatures
Signed bottom left on column: "J.J. Tissot"
Credit Line
Purchased by public subscription
Accession Number
00.159.142
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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