<em>Tomb Statue of a Woman</em>, ca. 1844-1759 B.C.E. Wood, pigment, 13 3/4 x 2 5/16 x 5 1/2 in. (35 x 5.8 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.226.11. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.226.11_threequarter_PS4.jpg)

Tomb Statue of a Woman, ca. 1844-1759 B.C.E. Wood, pigment, 13 3/4 x 2 5/16 x 5 1/2 in. (35 x 5.8 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.226.11. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.226.11_threequarter_PS4.jpg)

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

Why was this woman's hair so long?

These are long wigs, which were seen as a sign of beauty in ancient Egypt. Elaborate wigs held sexual appeal. Both men and women paid a lot of attention to caring for the body. Hair was plucked, oiled, shaved and otherwise groomed.

Nearby you can see a wooden comb once used to care for wigs!

Tell me more.

The statuette on the left was made during the reign of the pharaoh Amunhotep III. We can tell by the style of her wig. Long wigs like these were seen as a sign of beauty in ancient Egypt.

Both men and women paid attention to personal grooming. Nearby you can see a wooden comb that was once used to care for wigs.

Were all these three statues Sati?

Only one of them is a shabty for Sati. The colorful one with inscriptions. The wooden statues served a different purpose, but were likely entombed with a deceased as part of their funerary equipment.

Oh I see.

Why is this woman's hair so big?

The simple answer is because it was sexy. This would have been considered an especially elaborate wig and therefore communicated beauty and sexual appeal. Both men and women would even wear wigs during sex. This figurine's elaborate wig and skin-tight garment would have been seen as erotic in ancient Egypt and thus also connected to the sexual union necessary for rebirth.

Tell me more.

These standing women were made to be included in tombs and are meant the depict the deceased. The one on the left can be dated to the reign of Amunhotep III by her large and elaborate wig.

Is the hair supposed to represent dreadlocks? Is that how Egyptian women wore their hair?

They're probably not dreadlocks, it's more likely that they're braids. I don't know of any references to dreadlocks in ancient Egypt--though they may exist--but I do know that braided hairstyles were often popular especially in formal settings.

You can actually see some braided extensions in the neighboring gallery!

Tell me more.

These three figures all show off a common feature for both men and women in ancient Art: elaborate hairstyles including wigs and extensions!

These hairstyles were seen as a sign of beauty in ancient Egypt. We actually have mummified hair extensions in the gallery with Senwosret III that you should check out if you're interested.

Tomb Statue of a Woman

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

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

MEDIUM Wood, pigment

Place Made: Egypt

DATES ca. 1844-1759 B.C.E.

DYNASTY second half of Dynasty 12

PERIOD Middle Kingdom

DIMENSIONS 13 3/4 x 2 5/16 x 5 1/2 in. (35 x 5.8 x 14 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 86.226.11

CREDIT LINE Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Wooden statuette of standing lady, left foot slightly advanced, on a wooden base. She wears a long wig, which falls on the breasts in front and below the shoulders in back, and a tight-fitting garment beginning under the breasts and ending at the calves, which is supported by narrow straps well visible in the back. Both arms, palms flat, hang down straight. The whole figure is in one piece except for the arms and the forepart of the feet which were carved from the base block. The statuette is set into the base, but apparently not doweled. The front of the base bears on top three lines. Traces of black paint on the hair, which on the dress and red on the base. The hieroglyphs had been drawn in black and filled in with white paint. Condition: Right thumb partly missing; all figures except one, broken off left hand. Nose and toes chipped. Fissures between breasts, back of wig, rear of body, and above right ankle in front. Left arm loose. Yellow brown discoloration all over the surface on the statuette. Paint on base lost in numerous spots.

EXHIBITIONS

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

CAPTION Tomb Statue of a Woman, ca. 1844-1759 B.C.E. Wood, pigment, 13 3/4 x 2 5/16 x 5 1/2 in. (35 x 5.8 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.226.11. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.226.11_threequarter_PS4.jpg)

IMAGE threequarter, 86.226.11_threequarter_PS4.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2016

"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.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

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.

Why was this woman's hair so long?

Nearby you can see a wooden comb once used to care for wigs!

Tell me more.

The statuette on the left was made during the reign of the pharaoh Amunhotep III. We can tell by the style of her wig. Long wigs like these were seen as a sign of beauty in ancient Egypt.

Both men and women paid attention to personal grooming. Nearby you can see a wooden comb that was once used to care for wigs.

Were all these three statues Sati?

Only one of them is a shabty for Sati. The colorful one with inscriptions. The wooden statues served a different purpose, but were likely entombed with a deceased as part of their funerary equipment.

Oh I see.

Why is this woman's hair so big?

Tell me more.

These standing women were made to be included in tombs and are meant the depict the deceased. The one on the left can be dated to the reign of Amunhotep III by her large and elaborate wig.

Is the hair supposed to represent dreadlocks? Is that how Egyptian women wore their hair?

You can actually see some braided extensions in the neighboring gallery!

Tell me more.

These three figures all show off a common feature for both men and women in ancient Art: elaborate hairstyles including wigs and extensions!

These hairstyles were seen as a sign of beauty in ancient Egypt. We actually have mummified hair extensions in the gallery with Senwosret III that you should check out if you're interested.

Collection Menu

Tomb Statue of a Woman

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

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

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