Early Metal Statuette
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
Although ancient texts reveal that the Egyptians fashioned copper statuary in human form at least as early the Second Dynasty, this Middle Kingdom statuette is one of the oldest preserved examples. The figure stands in a traditional pose, with the same type of kilt and short hair that appear on many stone images of officials.
MEDIUM
Copper
DATES
ca. 1938–1759 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
Dynasty 12
PERIOD
Middle Kingdom
ACCESSION NUMBER
35.1274
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
PROVENANCE
Archaeological provenance not yet documented; by 1913, published by Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing; before 1934, acquired by the Scheurleer Museum, the Hague, the Netherlands; 1935, purchased from the Scheurleer Museum by the Fondation Egyptologique Reine Elisabeth; 1935, purchased from the Fondation Egyptologique Reine Elisabeth by the Brooklyn Museum.
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CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Bronze figure of a standing man in the conventional posture. He wears a long kilt. The details of the head are rather course and his arms are a trifle too long. The bronze has taken on a dark green patina. He wears a metal band on his right wrist.
Condition: Excellent.
CAPTION
Early Metal Statuette, ca. 1938–1759 B.C.E. Copper, 5 11/16 × 1 9/16 in. (14.4 × 4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 35.1274. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.35.1274_NegA_print_bw.jpg)
IMAGE
overall,
CUR.35.1274_NegA_print_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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Tell me more.
This figure looks a bit like an image of the god Ptah, but we're not actually sure who it depicts. The kilt he wears suggests that he may be an official. His bald head or skull cap suggest that he is a priest, given the time period. (Over 1000 years later some kings were shown with skull caps as well.) He could also represent Imhotep, the architect behind the first pyramid who was later deified.
Awesome, thanks for the info :)
