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Early Metal Statuette

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
Although ancient texts reveal that the Egyptians fashioned copper statuary in human form at least as early the Second Dynasty, this Middle Kingdom statuette is one of the oldest preserved examples. The figure stands in a traditional pose, with the same type of kilt and short hair that appear on many stone images of officials.
MEDIUM Copper
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES ca. 1938–1759 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 12
    PERIOD Middle Kingdom
    DIMENSIONS 5 11/16 × 1 9/16 in. (14.4 × 4 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 35.1274
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not yet documented; by 1913, published by Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing; before 1934, acquired by the Scheurleer Museum, the Hague, the Netherlands; 1935, purchased from the Scheurleer Museum by the Fondation Egyptologique Reine Elisabeth; 1935, purchased from the Fondation Egyptologique Reine Elisabeth by the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Bronze figure of a standing man in the conventional posture. He wears a long kilt. The details of the head are rather course and his arms are a trifle too long. The bronze has taken on a dark green patina. He wears a metal band on his right wrist. Condition: Excellent.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
    CAPTION Early Metal Statuette, ca. 1938–1759 B.C.E. Copper, 5 11/16 × 1 9/16 in. (14.4 × 4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 35.1274. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.35.1274_NegA_print_bw.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, CUR.35.1274_NegA_print_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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