Object Details
Description
Statuette: a seated male figure. Clay: soft, dense, white. Glaze: pale green-blue, partially disintegrated. Two inscriptions.
Inscriptions
From original folder sheet note #7 [see note #7 for more discussion on this inscription] (H.E. Buckman, 1964) The following undated note had been made by Dr. John D. Cooney of the Brooklyn Museum: Squatting sculpture of the Divine Father (a priestly title) Ser-Dhuty. Probably about Dynasty XXV-XXVI. The inscription incised in five columns on front of the statue reads: "An offering which the king gives and Osiris, lord of Djedu, the great god, lord of...May they give funerary offerings of bread, beer, oxen, fowl, incense, clothing, and every good and pure thing to the soul of the revered one, the Divine Father, Ser-Dhuty, the son of the priest of Anubis, Ser-Dhuty (son of) Djed-hor-iwef-ankh."
Label
Statues of this general type, known as block statues, appeared in Egypt as early as the Middle Kingdom (ca. 1980-1630 BCE). Hieroglyphic texts carved on the front, sides, and back of the statues consisted of standard offering formulas, which asked anyone who read the text to make offerings for the benefit of the deceased. Placed in tombs, or more commonly in temples, the statues magically bestowed the offerings necessary in the afterworld. The form of the statue forced the viewer to focus on the face of the deceased and the accompanying texts.
Provenance
To 1909
Maurice Nahman (1868-1948), Cairo, Egypt, to 1909 [1]
From 1909 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Maurice Nahman, Cairo, in 1909 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1987, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt (January 28, 2023 to 2025)
Charles Lang Freer and Egypt (June 13, 1998 to October 2, 2011)
Art of Dynastic Egypt (December 15, 1976 to September 22, 1977)
Previous custodian or owner
Maurice Nahman (1868-1948) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Date
664-525 BCE
Period
Late Kushite to early Saite Dynasty, Nubian Dynasty 25 or Saite Dynasty 26
Accession Number
F1909.146
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Faience (glazed composition)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 15.8 x 7.5 x 9.7 cm (6 1/4 x 2 15/16 x 3 13/16 in)
Origin
Egypt
On View
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
faience
man
Nubian or Kushite Dynasty 25 (ca. 760 - 656 BCE)
Saite Dynasty 26 (664 - 525 BCE)
Egypt
hieroglyph
Ancient Egyptian Art
Charles Lang Freer collection
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1909.146