Egyptian sculpture

OLD KINGDOM 65

The portrait figure of a young noble as a boy is a fine example of the art of the Old Kingdom (PI. XII. 4). It is one of three figures representing the man at three different agesas a boy, as an adult, and finally as a man in middle life. A similar group of figures is the celebrated trio of Senusert III, of the XIIth dynasty, found by Hall at Deir el Bahri. The Senusert figures are life-size, but this group is only 1 ft. 64 in. high. The one shown here is the finest of the three in general character as well as in detail. It is not surprising that he is nude, for this was not an uncommon way of representing a boy, but it is surprising that the other two figures are nude also. The number of nude statues or statuettes of adults is very small; even in the reliefs and paintings, nude figures, except of children, are rare: the Egyptian artist always had a preference for representing the clothed figure. The boy’s figure shows that he was quite young and not fully developed; this is unique at this period, the usual method of representing children is as men and women, but of a smaller size. It is not until the XXVIth dynasty that there is any real attempt to show the difference between the child and the adult. But in this example the youthful immaturity of both face and figure is well rendered, which alone would mark this statuette as one of the chief works of art of the Old Kingdom. The body is slightly bent forward in the attitude of respect, reminding the spectator of the words of Herodotus regarding the courteous manners of the youthful Egyptians of his time: ‘“‘when they meet their elders they give way and turn aside, and rise up from their seats when they approach’’ (Bk. II, 80). Unlike the companion figures this statuette is made of a single block of wood, with the exception of the stand and the front of the left foot; the other figures are made in the usual manner,

with the arms carved separately and fitted into their places 7