Statuette of a Male Deity
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Object Label
This figure’s large wig and unusual clothing, which consists of a penis sheath attached to a belt, indicate that he is a deity, but his exact identity is uncertain. Made for either a temple or a king’s tomb, this statue was the product of a royal workshop, where very hard stone such as gneiss was finely and carefully modeled. This depiction of the god’s strong, youthful body reflects the ideal of the male form in Old Kingdom sculpture.
Caption
Statuette of a Male Deity, ca. 2625–2500 B.C.E.. Gneiss, 8 1/2 × 3 3/4 × 3 1/2 in. (21.6 × 9.5 × 8.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 58.192. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 58.192_threequarter_SL1.jpg)
Title
Statuette of a Male Deity
Date
ca. 2625–2500 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 4
Period
Old Kingdom
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Gneiss
Classification
Dimensions
8 1/2 × 3 3/4 × 3 1/2 in. (21.6 × 9.5 × 8.9 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
58.192
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
Tell me more.
This statue is dated to 5th Dynasty based on the style of the facial features and other carving elements. Interestingly, his hairstyle and garments were already old fashioned by the time this statue was created. These elements have origins generations before the first kings of a unified Egypt. Depictions of men wearing penis sheaths are well-known on decorated stone palettes from the Pre- to Early Dynastic Period (at least 500 to 1000 years before this sculpture) and may even represent the style of people from a particular region.
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