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Male Figurine, Predynastic Period, late Naqada I–early Naqada II, ca. 3750–3550 B.C.
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.


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    Male Figurine, Predynastic Period, late Naqada I–early Naqada II, ca. 3750–3550 B.C.
    Egyptian
    Ivory; H. 2 1/2 in. (6.5 cm)
    Rogers Fund, 1954 (54.28.2)