Four Heads
Object Label
To express the physical and spiritual bond between two individuals, sculptors devised a form called the pair statue. The most common variety showed the subjects—a husband and wife, a mother and child, or a king and a divinity, for example—seated together on a chair or bench. The earliest documented examples date to the reign of King Djoser in the Third Dynasty (circa 2675–2625 B.C.).
This New Kingdom pair statue represents a married couple. The inscription tells us that the man is Nebsen, a scribe in the royal treasury, and the woman is Nebet-ta, a singer in the temple of the goddess Isis. They each pass one arm behind the other, a symbol closeness. In order to convey this sentiment and to create a harmonious design, the sculptor extended the arms to unnatural lengths.
Caption
George Biddle American, 1885–1973. Four Heads, 1937. Etching on stone on paper, 10 5/8 x 16 5/16 in. (27 x 41.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 40.52. © artist or artist's estate
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Four Heads
Date
1937
Medium
Etching on stone on paper
Classification
Dimensions
10 5/8 x 16 5/16 in. (27 x 41.4 cm)
Signatures
Signed, "George Biddle" lower left margin in graphite
Credit Line
Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Accession Number
40.52
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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