Male Figurine, Predynastic Period, late Naqada I–early Naqada II, ca. 3750–3550 b.c.
Egyptian
Ivory
Technical Glossary
Egyptian
Ivory
H. 2 1/2 in. (6.5 cm)
Rogers Fund, 1954 (54.28.2)
The earliest pieces of Egyptian sculpture represent men and women in formal poses. Figurines were made from mud or unbaked clay, ceramic, or ivory; details such as body hair, clothing, and tattoos were either incised or painted on the clay surface. This bearded man is made from the end portion of a hippo incisor. The features of his face and clothing(?) were incised into the ivory and filled with a black paste like substance. Figurines are very rare in this period of Egyptian art and little is known about their use in the Predynastic cultures that created them.
