Early Block Statue

ca. 1836–1759 B.C.E.

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Object Label

Developed in the beginning of the Twelfth Dynasty, the block statue was probably the most significant and long-lasting artistic innovation of its time. The form did not prove immediately popular—only fifty-six Middle Kingdom examples are known—but in each succeeding period it became more common. By the Late Period (Twenty-sixth through Thirty-first Dynasties), block statues were the most prevalent sculptural type. Nearly one thousand examples are known.

Caption

Early Block Statue, ca. 1836–1759 B.C.E.. Granite, 26 3/8 in. (67 cm) base: 17 1/2 x 3 3/8 x 13 3/8 in. (44.5 x 8.5 x 34 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.617. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.36.617_NegA_print_bw.jpg)

Title

Early Block Statue

Date

ca. 1836–1759 B.C.E.

Dynasty

late Dynasty 12

Period

Middle Kingdom

Geography

Place made: Egypt, Possible place collected: Asyut, Egypt

Medium

Granite

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

26 3/8 in. (67 cm) base: 17 1/2 x 3 3/8 x 13 3/8 in. (44.5 x 8.5 x 34 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

36.617

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.

Frequent Art Questions

  • What is this? Tell me.

    That is a block statue made of granite. The figure is wearing a cloak with an opening at the neck, with his arms folded underneath the fabric. The subject is identified as "the son of Tita," although we don't know much about him today.
  • Why are they in forms of blocks?

    Great question! You will see many of the statues in the museum are in the same 'poses' like the block statue, a kneeling pose, a seated pose. The block statue specifically shows a male, non-royal figure, seated with his knees up and arms folded. The figure is usually shown wrapped in a cloak on which inscriptions were often carved.

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