Loading

Statuette of a Serving Girl

c. 1323–1186 BCE

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

This statuette of a young serving girl carrying a jar belongs to a select group of hand-modeled figurines usually dated to Dynasties 18 and 19. According to the conventions of Egyptian art, the girl's nudity and the sidelock of hair indicate her young age. No more than a dozen of these statuettes are known. Their distinctive features--slit-like eyes, exaggerated hips, triangular delineation of the legs, and finger-depression of the navel--suggest that all were made in the same workshop. Although their exact function remains unknown, it has been suggested that they magically served the deceased as an object in the tomb.

Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).
Learn more about this artwork.

Details

  • Title: Statuette of a Serving Girl
  • Date Created: c. 1323–1186 BCE
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 38.4 x 9.2 cm (15 1/8 x 3 5/8 in.)
  • Provenance: Purchased from Michael Ward, Inc., New York
  • Type: Sculpture
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1991.107
  • Medium: terracotta, originally painted
  • Fun Fact: This statuette of a serving girl was likely intended to accompany the deceased in the afterlife.
  • Department: Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
  • Culture: Egypt, New Kingdom (1540–1069 BCE), Dynasties 18–19
  • Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
  • Collection: Egypt - New Kingdom
  • Accession Number: 1991.107

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Flash this QR Code to get the app
Google apps