Old Kingdom Wooden Sculpture, 2300 BC - 2181 BC
Wood
height 44 cm
height 17 3/8 in
dimensions exclusive of mounting
height 17 3/8 in
dimensions exclusive of mounting
LI.3403
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A beautiful and extraordinarily rare example of late Old Kingdom sculpture, representing a man standing with the left leg advanced in stride (the classic pose of a standing official), his...
A beautiful and extraordinarily rare example of late Old Kingdom sculpture, representing a man standing with the left leg advanced in stride (the classic pose of a standing official), his arms held to his sides, his hands were most probably gripping short staves or sekhem scepters that have since got lost. The man has powerful legs and broad shoulders, and is wearing a short wrap-around kilt and a short layered wig of notched curls revealing the earlobes.
Tombs of the late Old Kingdom often contained several wood figures of the owner, showing him at different stages of his life. In this example it seems that the prime of his age was represented.
The wig finds an exceptional comparable in the sculpture dating early in the long reign of Pepi II Neferkare (reigned c. 2278 to 2184 BCE). Pepi II is often mentioned as the longest reigning monarch in history, due to a 3rd-century BC account of Ancient Egypt by Manetho, which accords the king a reign of 94 years; this has, however, been disputed by some Egyptologists.
Minor conservation work on the legs and on one eye.
Bibliography: J. Harvey, Wooden Statues of the Old Kingdom, a Typological Study (Egyptological Memoirs 2), Leiden, 2001. Especially wig type W.6a.
Tombs of the late Old Kingdom often contained several wood figures of the owner, showing him at different stages of his life. In this example it seems that the prime of his age was represented.
The wig finds an exceptional comparable in the sculpture dating early in the long reign of Pepi II Neferkare (reigned c. 2278 to 2184 BCE). Pepi II is often mentioned as the longest reigning monarch in history, due to a 3rd-century BC account of Ancient Egypt by Manetho, which accords the king a reign of 94 years; this has, however, been disputed by some Egyptologists.
Minor conservation work on the legs and on one eye.
Bibliography: J. Harvey, Wooden Statues of the Old Kingdom, a Typological Study (Egyptological Memoirs 2), Leiden, 2001. Especially wig type W.6a.