Paddle Doll
1 of 5
Object Label
“Paddle dolls” earned their nickname because of their resemblance to modern Ping-Pong paddles. They all show exaggerated depictions of female genitalia. Some are decorated with rudimentary drawings of couples engaged in sexual intercourse, and others have images of birth-gods. The imagery of birth and reproduction suggests that “paddle dolls” enhanced fertility for the living and probably also for the dead.
Caption
Paddle Doll, ca. 2008–1630 B.C.E.. Wood, mud, flax, faience, pigment, 8 x 2 1/16 in. (20.3 x 5.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.84. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Title
Paddle Doll
Date
ca. 2008–1630 B.C.E.
Dynasty
late Dynasty 11 to early Dynasty 13
Period
Middle Kingdom
Geography
Place made: Egypt, Possible place purchased: Qurnah, Egypt
Medium
Wood, mud, flax, faience, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
8 x 2 1/16 in. (20.3 x 5.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour
Accession Number
16.84
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