Ca. 2345-2181 B.C. Middle Kingdom,11th - 13th Dynasty. Egyptian. An ancient Egyptian boatman funerary figure carved from a single piece of cedar wood in a kneeling position. He wears a black echelon-curled wig. The eyebrows, eyelines and mouth delicately painted in black pigment. The body painted in a deep red pigment on top of a thick layer of white gesso. Mortises can be seen arched into the shoulders. Arms would have originally held an oar. In ancient Egypt during the Sixth Dynasty (2345-2181 B.C.), it became common to place wooden models of lifelike scenes in Egyptian tombs; by the Middle Kingdom (2040 -1782 B.C., they were placed in the tomb chamber around the coffin. Some tombs went as far as having separate tombs just for wooden models. Funerary boat models were created to assist in the deceased’s journey through the underworld. These were eventually replaced with shabti figures to assist the deceased with the tasks in the afterlife. The most well-known models came from Meketre’s tomb which included such amazing scenes as granaries, butchers, brewery, bakery and even porch and garden scenes. For further information here visit Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545281O.W. Muscarella, ed., Ancient Art: The Norbert Schimmel Collection, Mainz, 1974, no. 181.J. Settgast, et al., Von Troja bis Amarna, The Norbert Schimmel Collection, New York, Mainz, 1978.The Metropolitian MuseumUnited Stateshttps://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544214Accession: 20.3.1https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544126Accession: 20.3.6 Provenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s; previously in 1970s UK collection. Size: L:435mm / W:75mm ; 1kg