Egypt, Middle Kingdom, ca. 2050 to 1640 BCE. A pottery temple fragment showing a standing woman in relief with remains of orange and red pigment especially on its lower half that give us a clue to how brightly it would have originally been painted. Size: 2.3" W x 6.3" H (5.8 cm x 16 cm)

The woman is depicted facing forward with her hands at her sides. Her torso and head are well proportioned and graceful, but her feet, arms, and hands in particular are too large for her body. Middle Kingdom sculpture often emphasized hands and feet; when originally painted, this statue probably had fingernails and toenails. During the Middle Kingdom, we see statues of women who are portrayed very similarly to this one - small breasts and the symmetrical face with the large wig, all beauty standards of the time (later periods saw women with different body types). These idealized forms probably corresponded to a desire to depict people as they would like to be resurrected.

Provenance: Ex-Hagar Collection, Ex-private NC collection acquired in the 1980's

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#119288

Repaired across top of body; some small areas of remaining pigment