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Shabty of the Man Maya

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
Egyptians began using the hieroglyphic writing system to record language. Comprised of such recognizable elements as objects and animals, each hieroglyphic sign could be interpreted in different ways. Depending on the context, a hieroglyph could be read phonetically (representing a sound), as a logograph (representing a word), or as a determinative (representing a concept).

The hieroglyphic inscription on this statuette identifies the owner as the artisan named Maya, and records for him a chapter from the Book of the Dead.
MEDIUM Wood, pigment, glass
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES ca. 1390–1352 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 18
    PERIOD New Kingdom
    DIMENSIONS 16 x 3 9/16 x 5 1/2 in. (40.7 x 9 x 14 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 86.226.21
    CREDIT LINE Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Large wooden shawabti of the s'dm-'s May with inlaid eyebrows and eyes; three horizontal lines of text on chest and two columns below down to top of feet. Smooth tripartite lappet wig. Hieroglyphs filled with pigment now discolored brownish-black. Formerly bearded. Condition: Sound, but there is a repair on top of the head; the tip of the nose, the inlays of the ends of the cosmetic lines and the beard are missing. The feet are repaired.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
    CAPTION Shabty of the Man Maya, ca. 1390–1352 B.C.E. Wood, pigment, glass, 16 x 3 9/16 x 5 1/2 in. (40.7 x 9 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.226.21. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.226.21_SL1.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 86.226.21_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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