Fragmentary Statue of a Figure with Dwarfism
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
This statue is a typical Hellenistic genre figure, sitting perhaps in the pose of an Egyptian scribe, with the legs crossed in front of the body. The combination of Greek and Egyptian styles suggests that this piece was made in an Alexandrian workshop at the end of the Ptolemaic Period or later. In Greece, as in Egypt, physical anomalies were seen as a mark of special knowledge and connection with the gods. Both ancient cultures associated deities with dwarfism with fertility and the protection of families, especially mothers and children.
MEDIUM
Granite
DATES
1st century B.C.–1st century C.E.
PERIOD
Ptolemaic Period
DIMENSIONS
16 5/16 x 16 3/4 x 18 1/2 in. (41.5 x 42.5 x 47 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
48.9
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Fragmentary gray granite seated statue of nude, male hunchback. Figure is seated on rectangular (or square) base with left leg raised, sole of foot flat on base. Right leg rests on base and passes under the raised left leg. Torso modeled in great detail with ribs of chest indicated. Left arm probably rested on left knee. Portion of right arm not clear, joined to body as far as elbow.
Condition: Poor. Head, arms, major portion of left leg front and sides of base, missing, Scattered chips over entire surface.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Fragmentary Statue of a Figure with Dwarfism, 1st century B.C.–1st century C.E. Granite, 16 5/16 x 16 3/4 x 18 1/2 in. (41.5 x 42.5 x 47 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 48.9. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.48.9_negA_bw.jpg)
IMAGE
front,
CUR.48.9_negA_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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