Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Stand in the Shape of a Male Dwarf
Middle Kingdom
Not on view
This object is not part of The Met collection. It was in the Museum for a special exhibition and has been returned to the lender.
This stand in human form is the most complete example of its type. Its proportions indicate that it represents a dwarf, who appears simultaneously vulnerable and powerful. The truncated cone-shaped receptacle on the head probably functioned as a lamp or perhaps held offerings. Objects such as these, impressive but somewhat roughly executed, were used by different levels of Middle Kingdom society in the hope that their magical properties would overcome hidden negative forces.
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