ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Statuette of a Woman

AAT Object Form/Functionstatuettes (free-standing sculpture)

(not assigned)Egypt

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period, Dynasty 25

Date722-655 BCE

MediumBronze, stone

Credit LineEgyptian Purchase Fund

Dimensions8 1/8 x 1 1/2 in. (20.6 x 3.8 cm)

Object number2008.001.001

Label TextA number of figurines of women made of bronze, faience, and wood are known from the 25th Dynasty in Egypt. They all share the Nubian ideal of beauty that emphasizes a voluptuous body and fertility as opposed to the more slender forms found in traditional ancient Egyptian art. It has been suggested that these sculptures are concubines for the dead, but some wear crowns, and at least one example is inscribed for a queen, indicating instead a votive or commemorative purpose.

Exhibition HistoryLost Kingdoms of the Nile: Nubian Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 9 - August 31, 2008
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2008 - Present
Published ReferencesCharles Ede, Collecting Antiquities: An Introductory Guide (London: Dent, 1976), 93, figure 244.
Sotheby's New York, Antiquities (December 5, 2007), 12, number 7.

ProvenanceEx coll. Dr. Erich Alport (1903-1972), Germany and England. Christie's London, July 12, 1972, lot 127. With Charles Ede, Ltd., London, 1976, E.1365. Ex private collection, New York. Purchased by MCCM from Sotheby's New York, December 5, 2007, lot 7.

Status

On view

Collections