Model or Temple Offering of a Foot
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
The smooth surface at the top of this foot indicates that it is not a tragment from a sculpture but a complete, intact object, probably a temple offering (ex voto). Perhaps it represents an individual's request to a god for relief from an ailment. Contrary to popular belief, not all temple offerings were images of deities.
Caption
Model or Temple Offering of a Foot, ca. 664–30 B.C.E.. Limestone, 3 15/16 x 2 1/2 x 8 3/4 in. (10 x 6.4 x 22.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 34.1001. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.34.1001_wwg8.jpg)
Title
Model or Temple Offering of a Foot
Date
ca. 664–30 B.C.E.
Period
Late Period to Ptolemaic Period
Geography
Possible place made: Sais (vicinity), Egypt
Medium
Limestone
Classification
Dimensions
3 15/16 x 2 1/2 x 8 3/4 in. (10 x 6.4 x 22.3 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
34.1001
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
Is there any symbolism to feet in ancient Egypt?
Feet can have a few associations. Egyptians were interested in showing the perfect body so the feet are usually depicted and very strong and grounded. Long toes were also an important characteristic. This foot-shaped offering may have been made in hopes for some foot-based healing for the donor. It also may have been associated with the composite deity Serapis who was commonly offered images of his foot.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at