Small Arm from a Statue

Since fine wood was costly, ancient Egyptian artists usually carved the arms as well as the feet and bases of wooden statues separately. Pegs on the shoulder of the statuette would have been inserted into the two small holes on this arm.

The clenched fist, which originally held a scepter or a staff, indicates that the arm belonged to a statuette of a man. The slender forms and modest musculature seen here were popular features of late Old Kingdom art. However, the lack of the body and face makes it practically impossible to determine the exact date of this arm.