Block Statue of a High Official
305–30 B.C.E.
1 of 13
Object Label
Wealthy men like the official represented here, called Nesthoth, could commission statues carved from a rare hard stone like diorite. Since the Egyptians believed that after a person died their soul could inhabit a statue, commissioning such images for the temple allowed one to be perpetually present during temple processions and behold the image of the temple god. The slight tilt of Nesthoth’s head suggests the attitude of a pious man looking up at the divine procession.
Caption
Block Statue of a High Official, 305–30 B.C.E.. Diorite, 15 3/8 x 6 9/16 x 7 7/8 in., 42.5 lb. (39 x 16.7 x 20 cm, 19.28kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.115.1. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Title
Block Statue of a High Official
Date
305–30 B.C.E.
Period
Ptolemaic Period
Geography
Possible place made: Thebes (Karnak), Egypt
Medium
Diorite
Classification
Dimensions
15 3/8 x 6 9/16 x 7 7/8 in., 42.5 lb. (39 x 16.7 x 20 cm, 19.28kg)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
69.115.1
Frequent Art Questions
What is the term that describes the kind of pictorial writing found on these statues?
In general, the writing on the pieces you'll see in the galleries can all be referred to as Egyptian hieroglyphs or simply hieroglyphs, the writing system used in ancient Egypt.
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