Female Figurine
1 of 8
Object Label
Statuettes of naked women with incomplete legs, like this example, have been found in Middle Kingdom tombs and houses. Early Egyptologists mistakenly identified them as concubines intended to provide the spirits of men with an eternity of sexual pleasure.
Recent studies show that both men and women used these figures to ensure fertility. In the home, they were believed to enhance a wife’s fruitfulness and a husband’s potency by invoking Hathor, the goddess of sexual love. As tomb offerings, they guaranteed the deceased’s sexual power in the afterlife.
Caption
Female Figurine, ca. 1938–1630 B.C.E.. Faience, 2 x 5 3/16 in. (5.1 x 13.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 44.226. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 44.226_SL1.jpg)
Title
Female Figurine
Date
ca. 1938–1630 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 12 to early Dynasty 13
Period
Middle Kingdom
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Faience
Classification
Dimensions
2 x 5 3/16 in. (5.1 x 13.1 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
44.226
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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