Bakers and Brewers from Meketre's model bakery, Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, reign of Amenemhat I, ca. 1975 b.c.
Egyptian; From the tomb of Meketre, western Thebes
Plastered and painted wood
Technical Glossary
Egyptian; From the tomb of Meketre, western Thebes
Plastered and painted wood
H. of tallest figure 7 1/8 in. (18 cm)
Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1920 (20.3.12)
The figures in Meketre's models, especially those from the combined bakery and brewery, are small works of art in their own right. Although several figures in a given model may be performing the same task, each is a distinct individual, and each has a slightly different pose.
The most striking aspect of Meketre's brewers is their arms, which were specially crafted for each figure according to the task he performs. These figures and those in Meketre's other models convey a feeling of motion that was seldom achieved, or desired, in more formal Egyptian statuary. Note particularly the pose of the man decanting beer at the right.
This work of art also appears on Connections: Everyday
Related
Index Terms
Art Movement/Style
Material and Technique
- Painted Wood
- Plaster
- Sculpture in the Round from Africa
- Sculpture in the Round from Egypt and Western North America
- Sculpture in the Round in Wood
Subject Matter/Theme
- Archaeology
- Archaeology from Africa and Egypt
- Food and Feasting
- Funerary Art
- Funerary Art from Africa and Egypt
