<em>Early Block Statue</em>, ca. 1836–1759 B.C.E. Granite, 26 3/8 in. (67 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.617. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.36.617_NegA_print_bw.jpg)

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

Early Block Statue, ca. 1836–1759 B.C.E. Granite, 26 3/8 in. (67 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.617. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.36.617_erg2.jpg)

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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.

Early Block Statue

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

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

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.

MEDIUM Granite

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS

Place made: Egypt
Possible place collected: Asyut, Egypt

DATES ca. 1836–1759 B.C.E.

DYNASTY late Dynasty 12

PERIOD Middle Kingdom

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) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 36.617

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not yet documented; by 1936, acquired by Louis Herse of Alexandria, Egypt; 1936, purchased from Louis Herse by the Brooklyn Museum.

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EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Early Block Statue, ca. 1836–1759 B.C.E. Granite, 26 3/8 in. (67 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.617. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.36.617_NegA_print_bw.jpg)

IMAGE overall, CUR.36.617_NegA_print_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT 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.

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Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

What is this? Tell me.

Why are they in forms of blocks?