Male Head, Probably from a Serving Statue

Based on the its size, lack of a back support, and short, close fitting hair, this lively head likely originates from a serving statue, a type of Old Kingdom funerary figure that most often showed men and women engaged in food production, as well as playing musical instruments. They were deposited either in serdabs, secluded rooms in the superstructures of Old Kingdom mastaba tombs, or within burial chambers. Although they have been generally thought to represent anonymous workers, some figures bear the names of the tomb owner’s family members, suggesting that they may have been intended to represent relatives or other household staff performing essential tasks. Serving figures are first attested in the later Fourth Dynasty, and they reach their peak during the mid-Fifth Dynasty, before gradually being replaced by other types of funerary figures and models.