Fragmentary Statue of a Figure with Dwarfism

1st century B.C.–1st century C.E.

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Object Label

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.

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)

Title

Fragmentary Statue of a Figure with Dwarfism

Date

1st century B.C.–1st century C.E.

Period

Ptolemaic Period

Geography

Place made: Egypt

Medium

Granite

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

16 5/16 x 16 3/4 x 18 1/2 in. (41.5 x 42.5 x 47 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

48.9

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.

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