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

New Kingdom, Amarna Period

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.

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

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