Egyptian Stuccoed and Painted Wood Statue of A Standing Dignitary

This statue is remarkable for its excellent state of preservation, considering especially that it was made of wood, a very perishable material. The arms appear to have been carved separately and attached to the torso, probably using wooden pegs, according to a technique well-attested by other related examples. Large remains of the painted stucco that covered the face are still clearly visible: the polychromy is limited to the ocher-colored skin, the greenish blue necklace, and the black hair and eyes.

The figure represented is a young-looking man with thin, slender and elegant proportions: seen in a strictly frontal view, he is standing upright, entirely nude, and moves his left leg forward. The right arm hangs along the body, while the left one is bent and directed towards the observer: he would have held a long staff in his left hand, and might have carried another attribute (a scepter?), also symbolizing his high ranking official status, in his right clenched fi st. His nudity, rather rare for male statues at that time, would have had a ritual function or been related to the rebirth in the afterlife. His neckline is adorned with a large and linear four-rowed necklace.

His head is covered with a short wig-headdress that entirely hides the ears, and whose locks are arranged in horizontal concentric lines. The finely modeled face is expressive and detailed: the lips are full, the eyes highlighted in black, the eyebrows are painted.

Wooden sculptures appeared very early in Egyptian art, from the early Historical period onwards, but they were produced in greater number as of the Old Kingdom above all. At that time, the tradition of commissioning one’s own funerary statue (even of reduced size) extends from high-ranking officials to a class of newly wealthy: among the closest typological parallels, one can mention the life-size, or a bit smaller examples now housed in the Louvre, in the British Museum and, of course, in the Cairo Museum (statues of Ka-aper), all dated to the 5th and 6th Dynasties.

The funerary furniture, even in the most modest tombs, often includes wooden figurines of various size, which were placed in the graves (the serdabs): their main function was to receive the funeral offerings, and to welcome the soul of the deceased. The use of wood provided significant advantages to the Egyptian craftsmen: light and easy to work with, it would enable the composition of statues made from several elements that could be assembled later (arms, legs, feet, loincloth). The limbs thus have a more natural position, spread from the body, and the dorsal pillar – always present in stone works – is no longer needed: the figures would therefore become more lively and realistic than those carved in stone, since they were usually decorated with stucco and painted.

The rare scientific studies performed on an institutionalized basis (Louvre, Paris) indicate that the Egyptian sculptors most often used acacia wood. Other woods, especially jujube and fig, and sometimes Lebanon cedar or ebony, are also documented.

Virtually complete and in very good condition; the feet and the lower legs are lost. Superfi cial wear of the surface. Large remains of painted stucco (arms, face, torso).

Ex-American private collection, New York.

Ägyptische Kunst, Auktion 46, April 28, 1972, Münzen und Medaillen AG, Basel, p. 18, no 26.

L’art égyptien au temps des pyramides, Paris, 1999, pp. 368-370, nos. 192-195. SALEH M. et al., The Egyptian Museum Cairo, Mainz/Rhine, 1987, nos. 40-42. ZIEGLER C., Les statues égyptiennes de l’Ancien Empire (Musée du Louvre), Paris, 1997, pp. 183-184, nos. 51-54.