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Statue of two men and a boy that served as a domestic icon

New Kingdom, Amarna Period
ca. 1347–1330 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 121
All of the individuals in this small group are males, represented according to the conventions of Amarna art. The intriguing group has been variously interpreted as a family comprising a grandfather, a father, and a son, or as one man at three different stages of life. The latter is most unlikely as the multiple representations of a single individual in one statue are not shown interacting as they do here. In fact careful examination of the faces and figures points to the statue's being a kind of domestic icon. The figure at left is a high-status individual and likely the oldest; he is probably a revered relative or the respected overlord of the man and boy who stand closely entwined with one another. The statuette would have received veneration in the household of its owner.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Statue of two men and a boy that served as a domestic icon
  • Period: New Kingdom, Amarna Period
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 18
  • Reign: reign of Akhenaten
  • Date: ca. 1347–1330 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt; Probably from Southern Upper Egypt, Gebelein (Krokodilopolis); Probably originally from Middle Egypt, Amarna (Akhetaten)
  • Medium: Limestone, paint
  • Dimensions: h. 17 cm (6 11/16 in); w. 12.5 cm (4 15/16 in);
    D of base next to man 5.7 cm (2 1/4 in); D next to boy 4.8 cm (1 7/8 in)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1911
  • Object Number: 11.150.21
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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