Striding Figure of a Kushite King
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
Several iconographic details identify this statuette as a depiction of a Kushite king, including the double uraeus cobras on the brow and the tight-fitting skullcap adorned with concentric circles. The king's broad face typifies the style of Egyptian royal sculpture during the years of Nubian domination.
MEDIUM
Bronze
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS
- Possible place collected: Egypt
- Possible place collected: Sudan (ancient Nubia)
DATES
ca. 712â653 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
late Dynasty 25
PERIOD
Third Intermediate Period
DIMENSIONS
4 13/16 x 1 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (12.2 x 2.8 x 4.5 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
81.184
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Bronze figure of a king represented striding with his left leg forward. The left arm is extended slightly before the left thigh with the hand held palm open and at a right angle to the body. The right arm, of which only the upper portion is preserved, would have been held in the elbow in the same position, or equally possible, bent at the elbow with the forearm and hand raised. In the latter instance, the right hand may have held a ritual vessel, and there are other bronzes of Kushite kings in such a pose. However, as the other arm of those figures is normally held at the side with the hand forming a fist, it may be more likely that our bronze has both hands in the position of the left hand to "hold" some cult instrument now missing. Such a pose would appear to be otherwise unattested in royal Kushite figures of bronze. The king wears a close-fitting cap adorned with concentric circles and, on the back of the neck, the wings of a falcon. A diadem encircles the cap, and two ribbons hang from the rear of the diadem. Two cobras, with hoods spread, rise from the front of the diadem, and their bodies coil over the crown of the head to descend over the rear of the diadem. The king also wears a broad-collar necklace and a shendyt-kilt. The figure strides atop a small, rectangular base-plate with the remains of a single tang descending from the bottom.
Condition: Right arm missing from just above the elbow. There is a large gash running across the left breast (just above the nipple) over onto the left shoulder. There is also a small nick on the right cheek and pitting in several areas (most notably the ears, one of the uraei, the arms, the rear of the kilt and the inside of the upper thighs). The tip of the nose shines from rubbing; the base-plate is warped. The bottom of the base is marked by lumps of corrosion and the remains of an adhesive.
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view on the 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
CAPTION
Egyptian. Striding Figure of a Kushite King, ca. 712â653 B.C.E. Bronze, 4 13/16 x 1 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (12.2 x 2.8 x 4.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 81.184. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.81.184_wwg8.jpg)
IMAGE
installation, West Wing gallery 8 installation, CUR.81.184_wwg8.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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