Statue of Metjetji.

EGYPTIAN, CLASSICAL, ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN ART

On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor @ the Brooklyn Museum 

Metjetji, the subject of this statue, is also depicted in the two wooden statues nearby. In this case he is shown in later life, with the long kilt of a senior official and, as viewed from the side, a rather flabby torso. The expensive addition of inlaid stone eyes with copper rims suggests that this was considered the most important of Metjetji’s statues. A large head, big eyes, and very long fingers often appear on statues of this time; here they seem to suggest wisdom and maturity.

MEDIUM Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy

Possible Place Collected: Saqqara, Egypt

DATES ca. 2371-2288 B.C.E.

DYNASTY late Dynasty 5 to early Dynasty 6

PERIOD Old Kingdom

DIMENSIONS Height: 24 1/4 in. (61.6 cm) Base: 12 1/2 x 5 1/8 x 2 in. (31.8 x 13 x 5.1 cm)  (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

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