Statuette of a Cloaked Man
A standing man wrapped in a long cloak with only one hand showing, a smoothly finished Middle Kingdom statue in yellow limestone. Full commentary ↓
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Statuette of a Cloaked Man is a stone object by an unknown maker (ca. 1850 B.C.) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In the pictureA man made of yellowish limestone stands wearing a cloak that reaches his ankles. A shoulder-length wig, a broad face and one hand emerging from the cloak to rest on his chest can be seen, and his two feet stick out side by side below the cloak. It is carved in one piece with its base and is 27 cm tall.
BackgroundStanding statues in cloaks were a popular form in the Middle Kingdom; simplifying the body into a single column reduced the labor of carving the stone while still giving a neat impression. His name has not survived, but it appears to be a private statue dedicated in a temple or placed in a tomb, and the smoothly finished surface shows that considerable care went into it.
Puzzle tipThe statue and the background are both light, so finding the outline pieces is key. Fit the face, wig, hand and feet first, and divide the plain cloak pieces into upper and lower by the direction of the shadows. Finish the bottom with the corner pieces of the base. 24 or 48 pieces is about right.
- Period
- Middle Kingdom
- Dynasty
- Mid-Dynasty 12 or later
- Medium
- Yellow limestone
- Dimensions
- H. 26.6 cm (10 1/2 in.); W. 8 cm (3 1/8 in.); D. 14.5 cm (5
- Credit line
- Gift of J. Lionberger Davis, 1966
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
Stories about this work
- Three Middle Kingdom Egyptian Statues That Hide the Body in a Cloak
Statues that cover the limbs with a cloak instead of carving them, turning the body into a single block. Why did this form, which saved stone and labor, become popular?
