Collection
/
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Princess Sobeknakht Suckling a Prince

ca. 1700–after 1630 B.C.E.

1 of 11

Object Label

Beginning in the Middle Kingdom, craftsmen demonstrated great skill in designing and manufacturing metal statuary. This copper statuette, representing a woman suckling a male child, is considered among the finest of these sculptures. The inscription on the base identifies the subject as the "hereditary noblewoman" Sobeknakht; her fillet and uraeus-cobra show that she is a princess. The figure may have been commissioned to celebrate the birth of a prince, to signal a reigning king's devotion to his mother, or to reflect Sobeknakht's wish for divine help in conceiving a child who would become Egypt's king.

Caption

Princess Sobeknakht Suckling a Prince, ca. 1700–after 1630 B.C.E.. Copper alloy, 4 x 2 3/4 x 3 1/4 in. (10.2 x 7 x 8.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 43.137. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 43.137_SL1.jpg)

Title

Princess Sobeknakht Suckling a Prince

Date

ca. 1700–after 1630 B.C.E.

Dynasty

Dynasty 13

Period

Middle Kingdom to Second Intermediate Period

Geography

Place made: Egypt

Medium

Copper alloy

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

4 x 2 3/4 x 3 1/4 in. (10.2 x 7 x 8.3 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

43.137

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

  • Can you provide info on the Princess Sobeknakht Suckling a Prince?

    Sure! Princesses, the daughters of the pharaoh and his primary wife, the queen, were very important members of royal families. Though the pharaoh may have had children with many wives, the children of the union with the queen held great significance. Even though Sobeknakht had an almost negligible change of becoming king, her son would have been a prominent heir to the throne simply by virtue of being her son.
    It is also worth mentioning that, many pharaohs tended to pay tribute to their mothers during their reign.
    So, something like a mother and child portrait, with significant meaning?
    Exactly!
    I think I just found my new favorite. Thanks again!

  • Scaled down adult body vs. Child body and scale. Why the difference?

    Child body and scale
    That's a great question! A big reason for the difference is that at the time the sculpture of Ankhnes-meryre and Pepy II was made, Pepy II was already the king. Sobeknakht could be seen as nursing a future king, but he was not the king yet. Pepy II ascended to the throne at a very young age and therefore the previous queen (his mother) served as his regent, until he reached adulthood. Basically, it's a much more formalized statue whereas the figurine of Sobeknakht is more about her in the act of nursing. You may notice that Ankhnes-meryre and Pepy are depicted at a 90 degree angle to one another so you can view each figure frontally.
    I see, that makes sense. They're more static, not in action, in an idealized pose. Thank you!

  • Were these sculptures made with the lost wax technique?

    We believe that they were! It's always amazing when bronze survives from the ancient world because it is very sensitive to moisture. Egypt's dry climate is a big help!
    Ok, but the explanation said they were copper, so I was wondering if they used copper like bronze in foundry’s.
    Yes! Copper can be cast in a very similar way. In fact, copper was mixed with different metals at different ratios in the ancient world. "Bronze" wasn't as defined as it is today.
    Thanks, makes sense.

  • Is there any significance regarding public breast feeding at this time or is this a common practice?

    I wouldn't quite describe it as "public" breast feeding, but there is definitely a significance to imagery of a woman (especially a royal woman) breast feeding!
    Princesses, the daughters of kings and their primary queens, were very important in the ancient Egyptian royal lineage. Being the son of a princess or married to a princess was a common way to ensure a king's legitimacy.
    Therefore, Sobeknakht would have hoped for a son, and conversely, her son would have wanted to honor her as his mother.

Have information?

Have information about an artwork? Contact us at

bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.