<em>Irukaptah and his Family</em>, ca. 2455–2425 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 29 × 10 × 9 1/2 in., 60 lb. (73.7 × 25.4 × 24.1 cm, 27.22kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.17E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.17E_SL1.jpg)

Irukaptah and his Family, ca. 2455–2425 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 29 × 10 × 9 1/2 in., 60 lb. (73.7 × 25.4 × 24.1 cm, 27.22kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.17E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.17E_SL1.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Is the size and posture of the son versus the mother a sign of position in the family?

In this case, the two smaller figures are equally important, and the purpose in this grouping is to emphasize the larger central figure because it is really a sculpture of him. The smaller figures are there because they are important to his life. Here we see the wife kneeling and clasping the husband's leg as an Egyptian gesture of love and support. The way the son is depicted, nude and holding a finger to his mouth, along with his hair style, is a common way for the ancient Egyptians to indicate a child in sculpture.

What does the head piece that the male is wearing symbolize?

He is wearing a wig, which was common for men in ancient Egypt. Many people kept their heads shaved and wore wigs made of human hair and/or animal hair. In that hot climate, it was more comfortable to have a shaved head and the option of removing the wig.

Also, why does the sidelock and finger in the mouth indicate a young child?

The gesture of the child is often used for children, we think that's so because it's something that children naturally do.

Is it common for the woman to hold onto the mans leg in these times?

Not always but it's an interesting detail, right? This gesture was common in Old Kingdom family group statues. The label mentions that gesture as one of love and support. However, there are other works in the galleries that show the woman and the man on a more equal scale . You'll even see one sculpture, in the central gallery, where the husband and wife sit side by side with their arms around each others' shoulders.

Irukaptah and his Family

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

Family statues from the Old Kingdom often depict the adult male as the largest figure, indicating his position as head of the household. Here, the much smaller figure of the woman is shown kneeling and embracing her husband’s leg in a conventional Egyptian gesture of love and support. The couple’s son is depicted naked with his hair in a sidelock and a finger to his mouth—a standard way of indicating that he is a young child.

MEDIUM Limestone, pigment

Reportedly From: Saqqara, Egypt

DATES ca. 2455–2425 B.C.E.

DYNASTY Dynasty 5

PERIOD Old Kingdom

DIMENSIONS 29 × 10 × 9 1/2 in., 60 lb. (73.7 × 25.4 × 24.1 cm, 27.22kg) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 37.17E

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Limestone statue of a man, his wife and child (son). The man is shown striding with his left foot forward and his hands clenched at his sides to hold “emblematic staves”. He wears a short wig the bottom of which slants downwards towards the rear. His kilt is half pleated. Kneeling by his side and clasping his left leg is a small representation of his wife. Standing by his right side is his nude son, with the sidelock of childhood, holding a finger to his mouth. Condition: Back bottom and sides of base roughly hewn. Figure of owner battered and pitted on sides, shoulders and arms. Nose missing.

EXHIBITIONS

Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Irukaptah and his Family, ca. 2455–2425 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 29 × 10 × 9 1/2 in., 60 lb. (73.7 × 25.4 × 24.1 cm, 27.22kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.17E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.17E_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE front, 37.17E_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT 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.