An Egyptian Portrait of An Old Man

An Egyptian Portrait of an Old Man
Author(s): Elizabeth Riefstahl

Source: Journal of Near Eastern Studies , Apr., 1951, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr., 1951), pp. 65-
73
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/542256
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide
range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and
facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
https://about.jstor.org/terms
The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend
access to Journal of Near Eastern Studies
This content downloaded from

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
JOURNAL OF
NEAR EASTERN STUDIES
Volume X APRIL 1951 Number 2
AN EGYPTIAN PORTRAIT OF AN OLD MAN

ELIZABETH RIEFSTAHL
HE Brooklyn Museum acquired nificant line but one of the rare Egyptian
attempts at individual portraiture.
from the estate of Joseph Brummer
The face is that of a man with a shrewd
in 1947 a fragment of limestone re-
lief of unusual subject and style.'and
Therather humorous expression, on which
age has left visible marks (Pls. I-II). His
fragment is small, and the scene depicted
forehead
on it is incomplete. All that is left is the is furrowed, his cheek deeply
representation in sunk relief of thelined;
headhis upper lip is shrunken; his long
and upper body of a man with out- nose stands out prominently, and his chin
is sharp; his face muscles sag, and his
stretched arm. The relief has been badly
damaged by salts-indeed was so thor- Adam's apple is clearly defined. His body
oughly impregnated with them when it shows the sparseness of wiry old age. The
came into the Museum that it seemed collar bones protrude sharply, as do the
doubtful whether it could be saved. After tendons of his skinny wrist; his fingers are
careful treatment the stone is now in bony, the joints of his thumb are very evi-
sound condition.2 Much of the original dent, and the markings of his open palm
surface had, however, been altered, are andclearly delineated. He seems to have
there was, of course, nothing left ofbecome the a bit careless of his appearance,
color with which the figure was once for his sparse locks straggle over his
clothed. Yet the sensitive carving is still temple from under his wig.
evident, and it is apparent that we have Nothing is known of the provenance of
in this relief not only a masterpiece of sig- this piece,3 and there is not enough left of
1 Brooklyn Museum, 47.120.1. Limestone, 31.3 X
the inscription that was over the old
14.4 cm. gentleman's head to furnish a clue to
2 The relief was immersed in water for three succes-
where he came from, who he was, or when
sive days, and the water tested for salt and changed
every three hours. At the end of that period the water he lived. From his dress and attitude, I
still showed a small amount of salt, but it was consid-
assume that he was an Egyptian of some
ered dangerous to leave the stone any longer in the
water. After removal, the entire surface was impreg- 3 It was bought by the late Joseph Brummer from
nated with cellulose acetate. The stone now seems to
Paris dealer in 1921. As will be shown later, it must
be in sound condition, and the acetate will probably
however, have been in Egypt, either in situ or in the
render the salts inactive.
hands of a dealer, at least ten years earlier.
65

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
66 JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES
standing, and I believe he must have

an Old lived
Kingdom relief in Berlin;6 or the
remarkable
at the end of the Eighteenth or Fifth Dynasty relief recently
the begin-
discovered
ning of the Nineteenth Dynasty. at Saqqara, showing the tragi-
While
cally
we know that the portrait must emaciated
have come nomad victims of a long-
from the Memphite region, for
agoWilliam
famine.7 J.
Young, of the Museum of FineInArts, the Middle
Bos-Kingdom, representa-
ton, who has kindly examined tionsthe
on reliefs
piece,of toil-worn age are even
has identified the stone as originating in finds them not rarely,
more frequent; one
the general vicinity of Gebel forMassara,
example, in the rock tombs at Meir.
slightly south of the Tura quarries, And one beginsweto find also those por-
cannot assume that the person repre- trayals of foreigners with lined and
sented was buried there. He may have weather-beaten faces that become so fre-
been merely in the entourage of another, quent in scenes of battle and captivity in
perhaps more celebrated, personage who New Kingdom paintings and reliefs-so
had a tomb in the Memphite cemetery. frequent that when one sees a deeply
Representations of old age are rare in seamed countenance such as that in the
Egyptian art, as are representations of Brooklyn relief one instinctively asks if
any deformity.4 They are found, however, the person represented may not be a for-
in almost every period. In Old Kingdom eigner. Middle Kingdom sculpture-in-the-
sculpture-in-the-round, the tendency is to round sometimes represents upper-class
show the subject in the full vigor and Egyptians-even royalty-as of rather
power of manhood. In reliefs he may advanced years. Heads of the aging Sen-
sometimes be represented as a solid citizen wosret III, in the Louvre, the British Mu-
in middle life, with thickened neck, over- seum, and Cairo, for example, show the
developed breasts, and a "corporation," king with a lined, sagging, and weary face.
but a person of consequence rarely shows And in the Saite period this type of por-
any of the marks of great age. Even faces traiture is sometimes carried to almost
that have sufficient individuality to be photographic realism."
recognizable likenesses are not drawn in In the New Kingdom the tendency to
detail. Living has not left its lines upon express age or character by reproducing
them. the lines of the face is more evident. One
It is quite another thing with humble could cite numerous representations from
folk. In Old Kingdom tombs one finds rep- that period of toil-worn fellahin, nomads,
resentations of simple people marked by shepherds, workmen, sorrowful blind mu-
age or toil or suffering, such as the bald sicians, wailing mourners, foreigners dying
and meager shepherd in the mastaba of in battle or grieving in bondage, whose
Kai-em-ankh at Giza;5 the skinny old faces are marked by age, hardship, or emo-
man with lined face, sunken cheeks, and tion. Our old gentleman does not fall into
prominent ribs, who carries a yoke from any of these classes. He seems, as I have
which hang trays of offerings, depicted on 6 Schaefer, Von agyptischer Kunst, 3. Aufl. (Leip-
zig, 1930), Taf. 15, 1.
4 On representations of old age in Egyptian art see 7 Drioton, "Une representation de la famine sur un
Spiegelberg, "Die Darstellung des Alters in der bas-relief 6gyptien de la Ve dynastie," in Bulletin de
l teren agyptischen Kunst vor dem Mittleren Reich," l'Institut d'Egypte, XXV (1943), 45-54.
ZAS, LIV (1918), 67-71, and references there cited.
8 As, for instance, the head of Njentuemhet in
See also Davies, The Tomb of Puyemr6 at Thebes (New
Cairo, the relief of the blind harper in Alexandria, and
York, 1923), II, 73-77.
the statue of an unknown man in Berlin (Weigall,
5 Junker, Giza I V (Vienna, 1940), Taf. XIII, opp. Ancient Egyptian Works of Art [London, 1924], pp.
p. 86. 319, 326-27).

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
AN EGYPTIAN PORTRAIT OF AN OLD MAN 67
indicated, to be a personage of someofposi-

minister Amenhotep III, whose portrait
tion. Yet even among Egyptians ofwas
statue stand-
made, according to the inscrip-
ing there are enough parallels to the tion, when he was eighty years of age, late
seamed face of the old man in the Brook- in the reign of his royal master, and set up
lyn Museum to enable one to assign thein his honor during his lifetime at the
piece to the New Kingdom and to narrow temple of Amun in Karnak (P1. III). In
down the date to the late Amarna age or the statue of Amenhotep, as in the Brook-
the very end of the Eighteenth Dynasty. lyn relief, the locks of the old man straggle
The dating of the piece is based on the
over the temple from under the wig. Such
following details: the style of dress and
locks, neat and ordered, appear from be-
coiffure, the treatment of the lines in theneath a different type of wig in several in-
stances-for example, in the tomb of
face, the rendering of the collar bones, the
Ramose. I have not come across precisely
open palm with lines, and the separated
fingers. the same type of wig previous to the latter
The dress, so far as visible, seems to be part of the reign of Amenhotep III or sub-
one which came into vogue during the latesequent to the reign of Ramses II. It oc-
curs most frequently in reliefs of the
Eighteenth Dynasty. It consists of a tunic
fitted close to the neck and with rather Amarna period. Another honored old
wide elbow sleeves horizontally pleatedgentleman,
at Any, who died in the reign of
the lower edge. Over this was usually Akhnaton, but had seen long service, un-
der perhaps more than one of the Heretic
worn an elaborately pleated kilt, which is,
of course, not evident in the Brooklyn King's predecessors,' is depicted on the
fragment." The wide-sleeved tunic is found in his tomb in a very similar
stelae
hardly met with before the Amarna wig. pe- The central strand and exposed ears
riod. In the tomb of Kha-em-het (temp. are repeatedly shown in the rock tombs of
Amenhotep III) tunics have rather close- Amarna.10
fitting elbow sleeves. In the tomb of Ra-Both the statue of Amenhotep, son of
mose, which, as is well known, was begun Hapu, and the stelae of Any show a simi-
in the reign of Amenhotep III and finished
larity to the Brooklyn piece in the render-
under Akhnaton, most of the earlier reliefs
ing of the facial lines of age. Amenhotep
show men's tunics with narrow sleeves, has a deep furrow running from nose to
usually without pleating, while the later
mouth; the bony structure of his chin is
ones show wider sleeves with pleated bor-
prominent, and his collar bones stand out
from his flattened chest. Any seems still
ders. During and after the Amarna period,
the sleeves grow more voluminous, and more closely related to the Brooklyn re-
the pleated band sometimes reaches al- lief. He has the same type of long, pointed
most to the shoulder. nose, the same shrunken upper lip, and
The style of the wig, likewise, is of thesharp, slightly protruding chin. In fact, he
New Kingdom and seems to have been in resembles our old gentleman so closely
fashion during a comparatively short pe-that I have only reluctantly abandoned
riod. It is parted in the middle, gently 9 See Davies, The Rock Tombs of el Amarna, V
undulated, and tucked back of the ears to
(London, 1908), 9-11, Pls. XXI-XXIII.
fall in locks trimmed to points on the 10 See, among others, Davies, The Rock Tombs of el
A marna, I (London, 1903), Pls. VIII, XIII. Especially
shoulders; a third lock covers the nape similar
of are the wigs of the courtiers in a fragment from
the neck. A similar wig is worn by thea temple of Amenhotep IV at Hermopolis. See Roeder,
"Die Ausgrabungen in Hermopolis im Friihjahr
aged Amenhotep, son of Hapu, the famous
1939," ASAE, Vol. XXXIX (1939), Pl. CXXXIX, b.

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
the idea of trying to prove thatthe

theBrooklyn
Brook-fragment. Similar overem-
lyn fragment might be somephasis previously
of the collar bone is frequent in re-
lief portraits of Akhnaton and Nefertiti,
unknown portrait of Any himself.
where
Our relief has two deep lines sometimes it is exaggerated to the
running
from the nose to the corners of the mouth. point of caricature.12
For these, a number of New Kingdom An arm extended with the hand palm
parallels are available, beginning with a outward seems in itself an unusual gesture
relatively early one, the sketch of Senmut, in Egyptian art. But a rapid survey of re-
found by the Metropolitan Museum in his liefs and paintings reveals that the gesture
tomb (P1. IV, A). Senmut is a somewhat is known from the Old Kingdom on. In
younger man than the personage repre- Old Kingdom reliefs, singers are habitual-
sented on the Brooklyn fragment, but he, ly shown with one arm extended, palm
too, has furrowed cheek, prominent nose, out, the other raised to the ear. Kagemni
and flabby underchin. In the tomb of is represented in his mastaba at Saqqara
Ramose is a representation of a "con- with outflung open palm, perhaps to indi-
stable" with furrowed face which is remi- cate the surrounding biographical text."'
niscent of our old gentleman, down to the In the painted mastaba of Kai-em-ankh a
style of coiffure (P1. IV, B).11 On a relief infunerary priest presents offerings with
Leiden from the Memphite tomb of Gen- right arm extended, palm out.14 Through-
eral Haremhab, a "hard-boiled" and rather out Egyptian art the gesture is fairly
vulgar officer (one is tempted to designateusual for the presentation of offerings.15 It
him as a top sergeant), who congratulates occurs more frequently, however, in the
his superior on decorations received, alsoNew Kingdom, where it is used, not only
shows double-lined cheek and sagging un- in presentation scenes, but as a gesture of
derchin (P1. V). Single lines from nose to
introduction or acknowledgment or greet-
chin are frequent in the Amarna period. ing or acclaim, or simply to indicate per-
They occur in the famous ebony head of sons or objects to which attention should
Queen Tiy in Berlin and are almost thebe drawn.16
rule in portraits of the sickly Akhnaton. Delineation of the lines of the open
Such a treatment of collar bones as is palm is very rare indeed. While it occurs
found in the Brooklyn relief could occur
only in a period influenced by the Amarna 12 E.g., in the slab in Berlin (Ross, The Art of Egypt
through the Ages [New York and London, 19311, p.
style. Collar bones are almost always indi-
165).
cated in sculpture-in-the-round in the Old
13 Firth and Gunn, Teti Pyramid Cemeteries (Cairo,
Kingdom and rarely in reliefs. Notable ex-1926), P1. VII.
ceptions are the portraits on wooden pan- 14 Junker, Giza IV (Vienna, 1940), Taf. XVII, opp.
p. 96.
els of Hesy-re in Cairo, one of which also
15 Sculpture-in-the-round rarely shows the hand
shows details of modeling, including deep
resting, palm upward, on the knee. See Ranke, "Ein
facial furrows, that are unusual for the
ungewbhnlicher Statuentypus des Mittleren Reiches,"
Old Kingdom. But only in the Amarna
in Miscellanea Gregoriana (Rome, 1941), pp. [1611-71.
The gesture in such sculptures seems to be one of
period does the collar bone take on an ex-
supplication.
aggerated calligraphic line such as that in16 The "top sergeant" in the Haremhab relief from
Leiden (P1. V) extends his right arm, palm out, to-
11 Davies, The Tomb of the Vizier Ramose (London,
ward Haremhab. He is either congratulating the gen-
1941), P1. XXXII. The illustration in our P1. IV, B, is
eral on his freshly acquired honors or presenting the
after an early rubbing of this head reproduced in prisoners who wait behind him in charge of a second
Villiers Stuart, Egypt after the War (London, 1883),
officer. Haremhab himself, in the same relief, acclaims
P1. XX1.
the king with right arm raised, palm out.

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
(Giza 7102)20 is rendered dubious for com-

sometimes in Old Kingdom hieroglyphs,"7
parison
I have found but few other comparable by the fact that Yeduw has a stick
in-
stances; one is on a hand sculptured or baton
in thebetween his fingers. I know of
round from the studio of the sculptor only two instances of the open fingers in
Thutmose at Tell el-Amarnals which the New Kingdom. One is on a relief
shows not only the lines on the palm but, thought to be from the Memphite tomb of
as in our relief, those at the finger joints.Haremhab, now in the Louvre, where the
Another is the relief from the tomb of almost clawlike fingers of the upraised and
Haremhab in Leiden, already mentioned,turned-back hands of a group of mourners
where the hand of Haremhab, extended are rendered separately.21 The second is in
toward the king in a gesture of acclaim,
the rock temple at Silsila, where, in the
shows clearly the lines of the palm (P1.
scene of Haremhab's triumph, a Negro at
VI).1' In the Brooklyn relief the palmthe end of the line of captives preceding
shows three transverse lines instead of the the king's carrying chair is rather clumsily
usual two. Yet the impression of veri- depicted with his arms raised high behind
similitude is greater than in the more ac-him and with the fingers of his hand,
curately yet more summarily executed shown palm out, widely separated.22 A
palm of Haremhab, and the wrinkles atthird example is of a much later period-
the wrist of our old gentleman are well ob-the open hand with separated fingers of
served, as indeed is the wrinkled and one of a group of mourners in the late
shriveled ball of the thumb. tomb of Nespeqashuti at Thebes.23 I have
It is equally rare to find the fingers of come
a across no other instances.
hand separated. Usually, whatever the Our old gentleman seems to have had
gesture, the hand is treated as a single both arms extended, for his right shoulder
unit, with fingers pressed close together. is higher than the left, and its drawing
The only exceptions to this rule are in seems to indicate an outstretched arm. A
cases where the fingers are actually busy. very similar gesture is frequent in the late
Fingers of harp-players plucking the New Kingdom. In the tomb of Ramose,
strings of instruments, of singers or dan- men with both arms upraised and palms
cers snapping their fingers in time to mu- out express exultation over Ramose's re-
sic, of artisans working at their crafts, are ception into the kingdom of Osiris.24 All
often shown with the digits separately and through the rock tombs of Tell el-Amarna
carefully rendered. An apparent instance this gesture occurs as one of applause or
of the hand with palm out and with open acclaim, though usually with the hands
fingers in the tomb chapel of Yeduw seen in profile. But this gesture is not
17 W. S. Smith, A History of Egyptian Sculpture and quite the same as that of our old gentle-
Painting in the Old Kingdom (London, 1946), p. 281, man. In the former, the shoulders are at
Fig. 122.
18 Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orientgesellschaft, No.
the same level, and the arms are bent at
52 (1913), Abb. 18, p. 40. 20 Smith, op. cit., p. 252, Fig. 96.
19 Mr. John D. Cooney has called my attention to 21 Vandier, "Deux fragments de la tombe Mem-
a comparable detail in a Middle Kingdom sculpture in
phite d'Horemhab conserv6s au Mus~e du Louvre,"
Cairo of the type discussed by Ranke (see n. 15, in M6langes syriens offerts a Monsieur Reng Dussaud,
above) reproduced by Engelbach, "Statuette of Yi
II (Paris, 1939), P1. II, opp. p. 816.
from Elephantine," in Annales du Service des antiquit s
22 Wreszinski, Atlas, II (Leipzig, 1935), Taf. 162.
de l'Egypte, XXXVII (1937), [1]-2, P1. [I]. In this,
the upturned palms are inscribed, respestively, "offer- 23 Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The
ings" and "food," the hieroglyphic characters suggest- Egyptian Expedition, 1922-23, Fig. 17, opp. p. 24.
ing the lines of the palm, and the lines at the finger This is perhaps of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty.
joints are clearly shown. 24 Davies, op. cit., P1. XXIV.

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
the elbow to take the form ofset up aka

the barsign.
in a reed hut for sailors on
The gesture of our relief is much more
shore.28 From like
the Amarna period comes a
that in scenes of investiture, where
charming the of relief found by
fragment
king bestows golden collars as Petrie at Tell el-Amarna
a reward of and now in the
merit, the recipient standing with both Louvre, which shows King Akhnaton
arms extended outward. dandling his queen on his knee in a reed
But here the collars are wanting, andhut.29
I
prefer, though I cannot find an exact par- If we construe the fluted shaft as part
allel for the gesture, to envisage our old
of an edicule, we may perhaps explain the
gentleman as presenting, with out- inverted cone to the right of it as some-
stretched hand, persons or gifts (which he thing hanging from its roof. Shrines some-
indicates with the other hand flung to the times show lotus flowers and buds or
rear) to some one who is sheltered in a something resembling grape clusters de-
shrine or other structure. I can see no ex- pending from their ceilings.30 These floral
planation of the vertical, fluted band be- decorations are usually closely spaced and
hind the old man's arm, if it is not part of end at the same level, while our relief
some such structure. shows only the rounded end of a single
Unfortunately, most of the kiosks or object. However, relief fragments from
other buildings represented in reliefs havethe sun temple at Amarna in the Metro-
slender papyrus or lotus columns with no politan Museum of Art depict fruit and
fluting. Exceptions are chapels with flutedvines rather naturistically treated and
columns depicted in some relief fragmentsirregularly spaced, which probably repre-
of the time of Amenhotep 125 and rather sent real or artificial floral ornaments de-
rare representations in relief or painting of
pending from a roof sheltering some miss-
the reed hut, the traditional Egyptian
ing scene; and the rock tomb of Mery-Rec
country shelter so often depicted in theat Amarna shows an intimate scene of the
Book of the Dead to house the deceased royal family feasting in a "garden kiosk"
playing the funerary game of draughts. Afrom the ceiling of which depend floral
representation in the tomb of Ken-Amfin,sprays of irregular length and spacing.31
earlier than the period to which we have It seems possible, accordingly, that our
assigned our piece, shows the boy-king
old gentleman addresses himself to the
Amenhotep II on the lap of his nurse, the
king or some other personage seated in a
mother of Ken-Amiin, in the shelter ofkiosk
a or arbor, from the roof of which
reed hut.26 Several such huts are repro-
hang pendant flowers, real or imitated in
duced in painted tombs of the Nineteenth
fayence. It is true that the edicules shown
Dynasty. A reed hut houses a sacred bark 28 Davies, Two Ramesside Tombs at Thebes (New
in Tomb 45, and another shelters the
York, 1927), pp. 57-58, Pls. XXX, XXXIV.
owner and his family in Tomb 31 atson,29and

From the Amherst collection: Sotheby, Wilkin-
Hodge, The Amherst Collection of Egyptian
I(urna.27 In the painted tomb of Apy ofAntiquities: Auction Catalogue (London, June 13,
the Nineteenth Dynasty the shelter oc- 1921), No. 846, P1l. XIII.
30 Lotus in the tomb of Kha-em-het (see Wreszin-
curs in a popular connection: a woman has
ski, Atlas, I [Leipzig, 1923], Taf. 181); grape clusters
in the tomb of Min-nakht (ibid., Taf. 278); lotus and
25 Borchardt, "Jubiliiumsbilder," in ZAS, LXI,
Taf. III, Nos. 10 and 38. buds in tomb of Ken-Amfln (Davies, The Tomb of ]Ken-
Amiin at Thebes).
26 Davies, The Tomb of K.en-Amiin at Thebes (New
31 See C. Ransom Williams, "Wall Decorations of
York, 1930), Pls. IX, IX-A.
the Main Temple of the Sun at El cAmarnah," in
27 Davies, Seven Private Tombs at Kurna (London,
Metropolitan Museum Studies, II, Part 2 (New York,
1948), Pls. VII and XV. 1930), 135-51, esp. pp. 140-44 and Figs. 1-3.

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
in reliefs or paintings are always

lines, orfilled
have bothered to portray so care-
nearly to the walls with the personages
fully what must,orin view of its small size,
haveBrooklyn
objects they shelter, while in the been a minor figure in a sculptured
relief the old man extends his arm into a scene.
wide, empty space. This, however, may However scanty our knowledge
prove nothing except that the piece really history of the piece, we know that i
belongs to the period of experimentation have been in Egypt in the han
with traditional form, in which almost dealer or, more probably, in situ,
anything unexpected might happen. 1912. Shortly after the Brooklyn M
I am aware that much of the evidence I purchased the fragment, I happen
have offered falls short of exact proof. Novisit the storerooms of the Metro
inscription remains to help us out. We Museum, where I came upon a lim
have not the slightest notion of who thetrial piece that reproduced with st
old gentleman is, though he was probably verisimilitude the head of our old
a well-known personage-some "grand man (P1. VII).32 This trial piece wa
old man" of his period. It is, moreover, chased in Egypt for the Metropolit
impossible to determine whether his por-seum in 1912. In 1933 it was declared "of
trait comes from a stela or a temple or a doubtful authenticity" by the Museum's
tomb wall, though the last seems most Purchasing Committee and now forms
probable. part of a study collection of forgeries.
The only things that seem reasonably It is rarely that the exact original of an
certain about the piece are its Memphite Egyptian forgery can be located, and it is
origin and its probable date. There are interesting and instructive to compare the
two other periods besides the turn of the head in Brooklyn with that in the Metro-
Eighteenth Dynasty in which similar por- politan to see how far the copyist suc-
traiture might be possible: the earlier ceeded-and how completely he failed. In
Ramesside and the Saite periods. I have a certain way, the copy is a good one: the
examined all the comparable material original is recognizable at a glance. But
available to me, however, and have come the forger has failed entirely to render the
to the conclusion that the Brooklyn por- robust qualities of our old gentleman. The
trait has little in common with the work Brooklyn fragment is by no means realis-
of either period. The brief unconvention- tic, for even the Amarna style is not, in
ality of the Ramesside school is more nerv- the modern sense, a realistic style. But it
ous and coarser; the Saltic "character" expresses the essential, living qualities of
portraiture is more suave, in its most an individual in vigorous lines, in sugges-
"realistic" attempts betraying its origin tively modeled surfaces. In the trial piece
by an essential likeness to the sleek, the lines are labored and careful, the
clever, conventional representations of the modeling flabby: the muscles of the aged
time. Our piece seems to fit without vio- face are not relaxed- they simply are not
lence only into the latest phase of the art there at all-and the prominent collar
of Tell el-Amarna. It is solely in the brief bones of the original become anatomical
revolutionary period of Egyptian art that impossibilities.
a sculptor would have rendered so vigor- The head of the Brooklyn fragment
ously as here the shrunken body and fur- 32 Metropolitan Museum of Art, Acc. No.
12.182.74. I am greatly indebted to Mr. William C.
rowed features of age, the hand flung out,
Hayes, Associate Curator of the Egyptian Depart-
fingers spread, and palm open to show its ment, for permission to publish this piece.

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
shows, in contrast, the freedom mopolis find consisted of blocks from a

of a spon-
taneous creation. It does not conform to destroyed temple of Akhnaton which had
the Egyptian ideal of classical beauty. It been built into a pylon of Ramses II."4
offends against the formal "canons of pro- A second piece (undoubtedly one of
portion." It must apparently be taggedmany!) which I overlooked in my previous
with that most distinguished and most study is the statuette of a private person
tantalizing phrase, "without parallel." Infound by the Egypt Exploration Society
this, it is characteristic of the period toin 1928-29 in a private house in the
which we have assigned it, when artists"Northwestern Suburb" of Tell el-Amar-
sometimes broke partly through the shellna and now in the Cairo Museum.35 This
of traditional form in an endeavor to statuette represents a seated man of ad-
vanced years who holds a lotus bud
depict essential being in the grotesquerie
of flesh. against his breast. His face is deeply lined,
his mouth sags at the corners, the sinews
Since writing the above, a parallel to of his neck and his collar bones stand out
our relief, much closer in many respects prominently, and there is a deep hollow at
than those which I have cited, has come to the base of the neck. His Adam's apple is
my attention. This is a fragment of sunk clearly visible in the profile view. His arms
relief from Hermopolis published by Pro- are skinny, and the right hand that lies
fessor Roeder.33 It represents a prince or outstretched upon his thigh does not lie
other royal personage, with right arm out- flat, as is usual in Egyptian sculpture, but
stretched toward a sunray ending in a is drawn up where the fingers join the
hand holding an ankh sign. Roeder calls back of the hand as if it were slightly
the personage Akhnaton, but, to judge arthritic. Moreover, unless the reproduc-
from the reproduction, the relief bears tions deceive, the joints of the fingers
small resemblance to familiar portraits of seem to be indicated by transverse lines.
that king. The face is that of a young man Here are most of the physical characteris-
of soft and pleasing features who wears an tics of the old man in the Brooklyn relief
elaborate pointed wig with tiers of waved shown in a sculpture-in-the-round of the
locks, from the back of which float two period to which we have assigned it.
ribbons. The outstretched hand is shown
Very few private sculptures of the
palm out, the markings of the palm are Amarna period are known. But a second
clearly indicated, as are those of the finger painted limestone statuette of a private
joints, and the very slender fingers are person, from the Egypt Exploration So-
slightly separated. The thumb, as in our ciety's excavations of 1924-25, is now in
relief, is seen in profile. It is in this detail the Brooklyn Museum. It was found in
of the open hand that the fragment mostthe Northern part of the city, in what one
clearly resembles the Brooklyn relief, butcan probably infer was a private house.36
the entire style of cutting seems also strik-
First claimed by the Cairo Museum, it
ingly similar to that of our piece. Thewas later released in exchange for the
Hermopolis fragment, accordingly, is anlarger and finer statuette just described.
important confirmation of our dating of 34 See ASAE, XXXIX (1939), 743.
the piece within or shortly after the Amar- 35 JEA, XV (1929), 149, PIs. XX-XXI; Frankfort
na period; for, as is well known, the Her-and Pendlebury,
P1. XXXVII.
The City of Akhenaten, II (1933), 43,
3" Bericht iiber den VI. internationalen Kongress fiir 36 JEA, XII (1926), 12, P1. VIII. The description
Archdiologie, Berlin, 21.-26. August, 1939 (Berlin: Wal-of the piece is limited to a few lines, and the actual
ter de Gruyter & Co., 1940), P1. 16 b. place of finding is unclear.

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
PLATE I
-vm:
-top
OR -1 ........ ....
a S'i~d~r~;~~~iieg~~:l[; ~ iiiii iiii~MIRi

NO::_-
::-::WIN
''''-'... .... . .. ..~~
iiiiiai i`5:11.1 iwdl:

:--;~-:_:_ iiiiiiiiiiii~i~~:ii~~l ~ i%~Ble~:s Ism= m: iii
'": iii:. -iiiiiiii i::-:-SAW,:
iiiiiiiiiiiii~iiiiii~iiiiiiiiiin
muilbau-M--- MONO::::--;:
PORTRAIT OF AN OLD MAN. BROOKLYN M

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
PLATE II
-- :?'?' 1:1-:-.1. .'..fi ,l

..:;::X
,?:]_::?? ?..... I....... A. I.. : . ?N.:: ?0 I
,i?.:?i:z?:? I
: ':l
1'-:.- -101._:%.
:i::?<? .' ?.-?i-)" ?':,':.::?;:
". A :?.??i?f
::14.:...,??'
--,.: ....
?' ?'
1 .... ? -g ??:i? ?i::z? ....::-....
..... -
.:-.:-'..:??:;? . '.'...?'. .. ?.j'?:":?;.::::::::
;' ,' ??:
...... ?,' .., '.l:X
j., >?:?]' ?:::?] , da ft : ?:?:i??L
' ':??*?*:*::??4 :?:::??::?;::?:.::::???...k
? ?:!:?wl::]]?.M.? '?:;:-. , . . . , , , -
'. .."I'l
..?7?'.. - I ..-
--. .. I
. :: ?:* x :.4> ? . : ?.
'lI---'l".l;,l
11 - -.. ,? .??.-'
??,' - ?'R
- a ??c ... ?! . ?V.' ?--- ?w .4 .-,-,:-
ii?-,'i?'?i&i'l'?"*:: ?i:,:::
-: .-
'?,.;?."?---'
-?'? -, ?
?All- . ..'.ep
,??: g""
:? ??-i'?!!:i?;?' ..
? .'-?: 4 ,,:?1: ? .......
. . ?:?!"'?
. '?:? ?1'..' ? ?:;?,'
-'.?:'.
?- ' " A.
-:W..---?--??..
r"?'W I... . ? I :...... `?`W?'MMj'.?:?ij?: % ??"V-:;:'
?? ? *' ""' -? -,. .1 .. "' g'.- im '
?-:'. : .." .w ?k?::?:km : ?? ". :.' &::?i?ii*i?
... . , U
-
?'*". 0:
. .. . -
,. ? 10 ? ? ' ,'? . ?. .
?. :2? ::;:":* I.
wi'X . ......
??Iz?'-,:?A?li ..:?". & -
. a-'PM;.-,..
. ?"
"I. ?,ji??::i: i'.??
. '?:--.; It-,; "i*---?I?l -
., .,
?i .1 ,
-? ,..:. F??
Iv
......2'."...':'?1 . .. - " .k. ..
?
...... I I . Mm?:7.--.'- 1
, ,.
:: ,
'?'.
.' ;
... ?"
- I
.l.. ..... " ?t.. ?. ? 1.?. '??::Ii? ... -... . :?:ji???-?,? . :': - . . . '??. i, x ...
.-M .': ?:?-..:: i:'-
. ...
.l*M :' V .. 17 770? '.?!'???ig.'.-?-
I 4?1?1?-:??:?`. ::
----
. ...
..
I- . f, I...
- , ,C
'19!?? .?Nl?
??.? i?-'
?'
Z....
4.."
-?
.....
. .?. ',
?"
.. .' ???
..?
'.
??
F ? p.
i? I.. .?.
.:i
,?:?.
!'M ,I...
..... ??i??:?..:
??-?'*.."*,??"??"*.?,?,?..
J. ', :...*
,,.....;..? :- .:'1
.....
:?
ii???,?".";?l::?,*..?-*..,?:???',?
:??.
??::%V
'? .. ... .??i'
'-:e
'-.0. '%
".: Ili?.
?`:N I.-.?-':;"
a....
-,-'.-
- - ?? .-?i:-?
.I,..?.-Ili:..
.1 ?? .N
.1
. ..%
. .... M
I,?'??,I'
i?,2.
" . '. . I I --, .W - . ? ?-? . :.. .
.'? .: -? ?, :?' ,,. ',?'?,.O ..*?]?.? .? ?'. ?I ... .. -, W -i-:.'.-..

?- , i?.` .i?.?. i',". ?. ".'=
T .'. ? ?::*' .i i-
- m od ?.'...
...?: ,
." -:...?::?.' % .- 'i g .", ?e"'..':: .. . ,?
:??,?? ? . . I -. ., -'? Mmi i a ??.
.., --?'- ;.' R --'R ?N ?-"
5.. xld- :'?::- - ,
*_ . ?;%'*' im
, f :?.' 1:?I.?:' . . ? 5'??' . . ??.?? ? ." :?:.
,
r??
'.
,'?""4ll;Y:.-?.:'.:-'
-'?Kl*?:
.I -...-
.?!q..ij.??
I."
,A; I -,
--,"' ,?'
.1 . --' ?'?'i:??
::':?:';?Pj
-, 4 M, 4 ?.',''".?
? p
-.l..?-X, ??;.:-p
---?-"0.1"
.
W-0
- '..g
- -1
, .?'.:
-, :.?'
.
I??i
.-
-j-
-.l.'.
?,.?-f,-?.:",*" ??,;'.-:.,??:.; :?:-.; ??. -i*"--? ,??5?, A I I * - .".
,: m , ?
I
I
, .I?'.'"11
z:'??-
,. ?-
"? I '?'
....
.
?'` -?
I .- -?..
i"",
?I
?, ....
-11'l':l'*:..-
- - - ., ?
-?'?,e , ?
?
?,I
I
'. . ...
?.
p".1
?.-:-'
iL
x -'?"
? w
.:-
I".'
-
-1 --?-v
- . M
?t
-
?
,
?--
'
..I,
-
?ii:
'
-??
-1
.,-.
1.-.
-`.,-.-l-:?.'?-:-
".
'?.-?,?.',-
"I". ? I
-*F-'??.*
--l
-
-N
,
::X?
.1.IN
-- -
.1
. ` '.
. . .?
F,
-'.lp"','i
-1- ."
?'?-"A
)
??51"'?;r';
??
.
? '- , ? .l...; ... Ill- ,
-, ",
:.;.?'l-':"::%;::-::-? : ? ":--'??
- ::: ,.- . .,.;.,..,.#
.1 -.1
..... ? Ii .'
, - .. ., ; : .:.
?. 1: .. ?.-g I .:f?
, ll? ?1.1;:?,,.
-X... . I : .. ... !?,?'. - - -- ?le'
,? , I" ?:- #::!': .::.,
? i::!??'?'?:i?;?'.?. . - ;::?O' e' i :':" ? 1. ,
V, 'mi??-'? '. ??::-'::?:i J,i?i?;?:
? ':' ,
? . ".
.? ,-:?
-? ?'
!?:-::?.?..?. -, ...
.. ??. i ?7?.:
I..; : " .. ;'..
:::::;:
---']]??- ?]? ?' , ?."
ggop-? :i??.' ". I'll, M . .... '. I ;:::,
. %..,I
.: I-
- --i?.??:??
?'::?.-
I.x...'....'
' i.01i
Z ':, ' ?
.:::. I/Al'. i:... '.
".";::?'::?)'O .,'?-:r':
i??:?'.' - - , ?::i-
r , ?- -11
--` - ? .- I '-
,
... *.::"w ?
'll-M
? : "
??.'
, -'
-.---'
-. o ??V
, ii:i?;i?';
"',
. m
, '?'--;
?
.
. ?;
V. . ?::'
. e m
IS.. 11
. ??x - ".,, ?i?','---?
'i'.'!'-.--
-11. ,
.... ..1,1 .
---?o
?.
:, I *?i??]??:.?x.
.:? I , ,. '. x.. " ??-` -! -
'?'ii??:: ??-?i?:? ,X -"? il?'?*K i*??'."' 4?1:: ?4.': . . - : , ? .' , k?-* .,. '
K?".% :' , , Z ;. ,.:., ? ",x-, - , - :
-
?.':-?' ?w- .?m- -': t I., A f
;.?.?- ?'.qi:'.. -.7.1 ? .. ,. ....
A
.1 -?:
1F i
..,
?W,'?.'?'-`-.:
;Xi*i-' . ,
. --l
?
. 11.1,
-.--.`?M'..?--.
y f - S',
..,?"..'
, ...
"..i:??:
- ? . . ....
...
.9",v
!:-::l','?:.- .I.-1
,. ."',?i??;?"'
,? :a
,.",,,'.-.
'. ? , :?. -
.? ?!l
.?.: M.M.-
]?C*i?:??'?
?:'
U .. k"
,
A
. '."":?'
I?
?' .:??::??:::.
:?i: ..
..,?--.';]:?i?:;?
:??::? i?::im;
a....
? E...
":;:".
. ?i:;?".?:??i:
- _" ?
`?'A. ...:?Z. . ...'.?'.:
:'?'?'?*:;!
::'
?- , ..". M ..
. *:??..?"'.??::?i: V.?:?:`!.:?:..
..'. :',14
. . , ? ?? - -..
, - m :.:,
* .0
x ",
i
...
-'.,.
, . .:?
111.
`!:?"
..
?O...',
,
'? -.
..*.-
.' .g
.A
.t::?. . ??
!:.::
?:??:;:'::A
, "I
! ...... .'.."I'.. ,? -o ?
"
,P .?X-
.
' l.;'
..'' ?--",
I ;
I ,"V
. TIN -?
,
?'?? -'j;::?'? -??'R?. ...--- ik?l
? ' . ??-:i?..
:' . " ? ?g 11. I'l
:.%, ?IK-l?i"t"??
.i:: ??4.
l
f'-p 14
ii-I!.",
,...
0"':S:?"',`
. I I ,
5-?';-:?"-'?:? -%?. --' --i" -? ? .-.-. .. --,
?'
,.,.
?- ,.
?i?i>;?.?' -'?'-."?z.--'-' '?4 " '??:
3?;. ?:??,.?.:?.,..?,,?'*,i,-.--::?????,?.,,i ,? .1%, ? ----
' " - ,
llv?? a `??
"?..??-'*.'*.,`?'*
W ....' . ??:'i?i??
".. ? ? 77?K-'?:;-
.?:.... "'.1 m '. .?
, ?::??'A? :..' ...
g?!?????i:',.?i!??:i??,!,>,????'-
: '?& i?'
.X.4 ','..... ?R O....- ---W ?!Ie O-w- .I.:??I.:. - -. - ,?..
I."
.-
.. ... .1 ,R FV
?........ .. ?.-?::?.
:??'.-
? ?., .
";;,. .::? . t,:?? ? _ 0 4.1?.'-.'? W , ]j.K.:::j --- ,'.
"',.'.'^,*
.1. ' ?:?:1,17?..:..,.;,???,::: .?'.1??,.?:v .. ,'i:'.:;K'..W
. k' ... :- ..?..'.O'.:
.1 .? i?' 7:;n - -. .... - -'...QI*K
. . :; ::? ... V .'.. :....... ?. , , ' " ... IWX.?:'?
.'g
?<?::
-?
':?*'
I
,
':::-?P."W
t" - "*'
-l"'.",
- &-:' i'l Z::?. I . . . .. ... % . % - ..- I. - ..:.:.-.-i
- ?.?
??-%A
?
.
- ?"."" ?'.
- -
I",
1,
:Ii:? it w ?'
,
'?-:g
?
?k
-
I -
-
, ..
-
I
I.. ?
W
'....-.'..,
I ?
..
- - '?I-iii? ?:?:?:?:??
...
- . I
. . "
' :: M
?? . -
.";??-? %? ,
-?.i???ii?? ''
J
??.j?.-::::." . ?? .?":??:?!
?. . .. . , !??i?:
:::., .. ffi ']!?:.?i?i;"'??i?-
:?!?.. :'...:
??..j '. ?. .24.11?.w"?'-:;..
. I I??i::??::]?::??:.
? ?'. .::::? :::??: ?
, ,,V
? I . . ''..':
', ? : .:" ' P . 4, ....' ,
:??!5,.?:,.N ,...,?.:;..?,?":???]:?,?i?.::? T
---N ??;R?k--X 1.1i'li, ...,? J. i 2
"'
l .:l,'::11. ` I ." .. . i-..
?
i". i?-..?--.
??-Vti...Inl.
?
?-W
' .-M : --
-.: i" . - i.".l,"
; .;'k%,
--
'f ."
--:,?
I-
. .1 . '?:
.... W.- ,.?
-.........
-
I
?- 1.
: I???,?!??ll'??'?,?????".]?'???...?!?:??::
.v
I-"??fi.:.?
.1-1: ,4 -.I-
? ' ??
- : 11
f" . mff
. .61
,?
.9-lil"i
- .
.1 P--'N
. X
?:?,
,'--"---'-'.' u ??';'*'?.
?:,
.?
" 7':?t'.?:;:
ll'
""'?'-:.- I I I-
.. :.-
?ml... ? . 'x'-
. ....
- .. I i, . ? ?; " '--
xr'---;-'._:?
!.:.:':::J&
..
, ?i''.? W ..".r.-
..;. N:??- . .- ,
?? 9;
1 .'?? ?? -,"..": x" ,l . i?,' .
':?
. .. - -'-
,.,
W I -fl.l.-31P
"'??:?Ilm?
W
?:;??:V'::':.
? ?. ..---,.W
:.1.11
k 11
..:
.'.'...'
?n1.
.%?? N Z -1 .4?1:?:?
.;. ?' ,: 0 ? ? v" ?: i w??: 4:4.."' ... .... Kr' - ::- . .:?'- i ...:.'.- ,..:: ? I.. .
? :--: ::
-:- ,.":: -
I , '? m
. 1,
- .-l'.
- I.-II,A . ,? I... -...'.. "- ... ..'
.. ?-;
-::*;? ?. . .'$ , w ? :: .
11
,i i
-121??"15,"-.
- ?.
,. ?3:,?."-
I`?
?
-
??'-
,?:M g,-,".',
'I ,.
. -
M
...:
',,ot9
;.J?;?
i?:
. ,.
?' .
?-%g,
. -
g
-' ...
-A--:?.'
.
-* '
?'' .i.
,- i
- I I
? : .i,.
. :.
". ,. -
::..?-:'?i:.?.
. ' ,. -
,
I ?"?'?:??:?,??:??";.?'.???."'*"
..
.. .. .... ?? A ..1; - . ?.
... , ...
i I.... :?i:??:
1. '..
', '.]:-.
. I III
? .i.
.M -i???::,:.::?;.,:?.::
, :::: ' ? M -W .. .. ?- , ?:,
?-:::: 1---l ' .,-'?
:*:.::]!:i:ll???.??i
:
::':?? ?'
?? I ..
..-
' -.?:
?.-?:"?
...
'.'.. ,
,':??? ...
1113
??..
. W
,....'.
.'
-?i?$'-'
. _?:j:jj:?:
?-:..-???.i?.
. I.?;K
: III . I
.... .4.
' %
?.: ?1..1-*:'-i
... '?- ... .."N.,.. . -. ...
.
. . . .
11: ? I .. .
...."f
.I.::j:j?: ':?:? :,..,:
.1 X.: .j:? ? 4: '?.' ':::?4 .' ff
;. ?:?m -. .1
.. 11
-??;: ?-'..;:? --?.? , AM 941 : ly .x .., ."I

,- -..
-'? . 1. A ?:w il-. ,- ?.'?
. I.. -
.. -, ::j.:i' ??'%::-- .'-
iWIS--
-
'*`
?:".:.
?_'.*:?-kk*:,'?:5
?" -i:i??'? - lii
-0 ? k ?,....
-??
?,
?'?,.
--
-
-
i??'
I ll..
. ,"
a
-?i?
....I - ,K-::'A-q
11.1.
?? if?
,
11
,
.N-,i.'.
.
,--'?k"??l
?'
?--?.M -..
;
-".-?'?
-.1 VI -
...?
..
- IN
..
,
"
i.-".?
** -
-
-
? I
- .. ? "?; ...... ---"l.'l-l"
.A., in '. ?. I.
? , . ---.% .
-, i?" .' -: - - -? . .- - - - I
"
......
.....
4- .M I - "ll
'a
1 I , ?:::'
...... " ....
N A
.-`.?"-?i??'1.
- -?. ;:: .-
?-'?. '.
" . .I I. ' ...::,::
?:?.
%.- :ifi
- '. ?. ..
,.
..? .. ... ?;,;
,:?iii'-::".*?-??i?:??
?.?? , ?'Al
?'.
."
..
. . .?'-.
. 21i.?:T
cl
..
--:-I??
, !;. ?: :
. 1.
'? -
i , "N ?",
?.
?K,;k-
'
. 7:'-;:?4
??.`--'.??---
14
?'
, --'- ??
""':
-?
.
... , ' g :?.:::?::?.' ??:?jj ...'; '*??:'?:i?:?:::i;:: : ..'.
"?? .1 --'I?' - , '.',"-.'.-'-"

F -W . --f?-'-
..'R ?l . ..A
.'?III .... xAl --.
..!- .1
-... .? , . ...'
.., ?- 4 , ,*-.
. . i
R-'.?;?;??.`
??' - -
110
I, 1 J -.."--------,
.X.'lK-l'R
;?'.' -11:.'til
" ?:?
. !E: ..
!??:. I.Ii.-?:?:?,-'.!:
?fW "::; ;?'.
'i-'-'j?i. ; I:!:?
-??] I
..?E::;?::?
ff ;,?.
?:. 11-1, ..
- ??:??]3
. 1-7?
DETAIL OF PLATE I

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
PLATE III
.............:::
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... ......
iii~ii~iii. . . . . . . . . . . .'i~
....... ...:::::ii::: ::-::
....... ...-iiiiiiiiiii~i
....... ... ...:?:?:
:::::;gifi~::i:::~i::'
..... .... ...~ii~i
. . . . . . . . .
iii~ii-ii~iiiiii i~i::,:;:iiiiii-ii-:~ii~~
-Xv:ii;ii::::::
'pd, :::''-'? ::' ''' ':::
Id.:::::::I ii(iiiii~::.:iiiiiii~iiiiii~j
... . .... .::::i~-:~i
AMENHOTEP, SON OF HAP

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
PLATE IV, A
"CHARACTER-STUDY" OF SENMUT. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
PLATE IV, B
A "CONSTABLE" FROM THE TOMB OF RAMOSE. AFTER VILLIERS STUART,

"EGYPT AFTER THE WAR"

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
PLATE V
GENERAL HAREMHAB CONGRATULATED BY AN OFFICER. RELIEF IN LEYDEN. AFT

"BESCHREIBUNG DER AGYPTISCHEN SAMMLUNG DES NIEDERLANDISCHEN
REICHSMUSEUMS DER ALTERTOMER IN LEIDEN," PL. 24

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
PLATE VI
a *0 . ?
low ,Ap. P'.
yogm.
7M..
, W.N_
m7.:
5A.7
MA:.
, V k?,?t
KA::j
leai-i
Mrs:
', ME ??
GENERAL HAREMHAB THAN

"BESCHREIBUNG DER AGYPTISCHEN SAMMLUNG DES NIEDERLiNDISCHEN
REICHSMUSEUMS DER ALTERTtMER IN LEIDEN," PL. 24

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
PLATE VII
&01 MINI
MINE
IMP:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . t w o
.?nqq
it
W10-1 .. .......
Maw.
N 1_0
U.N.
JIM
AW
Af
T1 K:
.. ...... . .
Aff -.' J- M. H"
oil
tw:
Mgt
..................
VNE
lug
MEN "WIN
.......... Was
JA I - - - on"Mm milli
ON
Mvp
so.s.
YOM
PIN.,
WE
IMF "MM
i MR.
jig
MR
till
ti
i 4211
% ...........
oil
. . . . ..... ..... ..........
A MODERN FORGERY BASED ON THE BROOKLYN RELIEF. PHOTOGRAPH C

TESY OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC
The Brooklyn statuette has notion by a man. In banquet scenes on re-

relation-
ship with the relief of the old man,
liefs but of previous periods men are
and stelae
sometimes
since it has been wrongly attributed to the (women much more frequent-
ly) shown
Old or Middle Kingdom,37 this seems a breathing the fragrance of an
open lotus,
good occasion for again correcting the er- but the substitution of the
lotus
ror, though it was pointed out by bud for
John D. the scepter or other attribute
held against
Cooney in the Brooklyn Museum Quar- the male breast seems to be a
terly some twelve years ago.38 rather effeminate invention of the time of
Though one would indeed beAkhnaton. surprised The bud is fairly frequently
to find an Old or Middle Kingdom carried sculp-
by women, though this, too, seems
ture at Tell el-Amarna, at first glance to be largely
this limited to the Eighteenth
small piece (8.9 cm. in height) Dynasty.
seems so
rigidly traditional that it might Once the
be bud
as-has aroused suspicion, it
signed to almost any period. The per- becomes evident that the face of the little
sonage represented is seated on a block sculpture is a typical Amarna face-
seat without back (a supportingshaft run- slightly boyish, with full, pouting lips and
ning up the back of the figure is not part softly rounded features. However, since
of the seat). He is clad in a conventional the workmanship is not fine, these facial
short white kilt with rounded lower edges characteristics might well escape notice,
and pleated tab, and he wears a black and without the evidence of the lotus bud
skullcap or his own close-cropped hair.it would be easy to date the piece to an
The original red color remains on the ex-earlier period.
posed parts of the body, and the eyes are One asks one's self what this statuette
rendered in black and white. The right and the piece now in Cairo were doing in
hand is extended on the thigh, palm down, private houses. Were they ancestral por-
and the left, clenched below the breast, traits venerated in a household shrine? Or
holds a white lotus bud. did there perhaps exist in the city of
The lotus bud is the anachronism that Akhnaton sculptures made for art's sake
and used for the decoration of homes and
makes it impossible to date the piece ear-
lier than the end of the Eighteenth Dy- the enjoyment of the owners? Such finds
nasty. I know of no instance other than as these add to the long list of questions
these two private sculptures from Tellinspired
el- by Egyptian archeology, to the
great majority of which we shall perhaps
Amarna in which it is carried in this posi-
never find a satisfactory answer.
37 Porter and Moss, Topographical Bibliography,
IV, 207. THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM
38 XXV, No. 3 (July, 1938), 94. BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

193.19.172.29 on Mon, 05 Jul 2021 04:31:57 UTC

An Egyptian Portrait of An Old Man

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

An Egyptian Portrait of An Old Man

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

An Egyptian Portrait of an Old Man

Author(s): Elizabeth Riefstahl

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/542256

This content downloaded from

NEAR EASTERN STUDIES

Volume X APRIL 1951 Number 2