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Schematic Female Figurine

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

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

During the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period, sculptors occasionally depicted the female form in a highly schematic manner: flat heads, prominent buttocks, small breasts, slim waists, and eyes and eyebrows that appear as slits. Their style differs from standard Egyptian artistic conventions, indicating that these figures may have been Nubian imports or objects made by or for the poor.

MEDIUM Clay, pigment
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES ca. 1630-1539 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY late Dynasty 13 to Dynasty 17
    PERIOD Second Intermediate Period, Hyksos Period
    DIMENSIONS 4 3/4 x 1 7/16 x 9/16 in. (12 x 3.7 x 1.5 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 77.49
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION One terracotta figurine of a highly schmatic female figure, with a flat head, slim waist, and prominent hips. Dot holes in groups represent tattooing. Carbon based pigment around the eyes. Condition: Excellent; Only the feet from the ankles down are missing.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
    CAPTION Schematic Female Figurine, ca. 1630-1539 B.C.E. Clay, pigment, 4 3/4 x 1 7/16 x 9/16 in. (12 x 3.7 x 1.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 77.49. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 77.49_PS2.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 77.49_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2007
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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