Skip Navigation

Collection Menu
<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_view1_SL1.jpg)
Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_view1_SL1.jpg)
<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_view1_SL1.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_view1_SL1.jpg)

<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_view2_SL1.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_view2_SL1.jpg)

<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_detail_SL4.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_detail_SL4.jpg)

<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.51.1_erg2.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.51.1_erg2.jpg)

<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.51.1_2001_xrs_detail01.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.51.1_2001_xrs_detail01.jpg)

<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_NegK_bw_SL4.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_NegK_bw_SL4.jpg)

<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.51.1_2001_xrs_detail02.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.51.1_2001_xrs_detail02.jpg)

<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.51.1_2001_xrs_detail04.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.51.1_2001_xrs_detail04.jpg)

<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.51.1_2001_xrs_detail03.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.51.1_2001_xrs_detail03.jpg)

<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.51.1_2001_xrs_detail05.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.51.1_2001_xrs_detail05.jpg)

<em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 50.77_51.1_53.222_SL4.jpg)

Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 50.77_51.1_53.222_SL4.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Statue of Metjetji

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Metjetji, the subject of this statue, is also depicted in the two wooden statues nearby. In this case he is shown in later life, with the long kilt of a senior official and, as viewed from the side, a rather flabby torso. The expensive addition of inlaid stone eyes with copper rims suggests that this was considered the most important of Metjetji’s statues. A large head, big eyes, and very long fingers often appear on statues of this time; here they seem to suggest wisdom and maturity.
MEDIUM Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy
  • Possible Place Collected: Saqqara, Egypt
    • DATES ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY late Dynasty 5 to early Dynasty 6
    PERIOD Old Kingdom
    DIMENSIONS 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm) mount: 24 1/2 × 8 × 12 1/2 in. (62.2 × 20.3 × 31.8 cm)  (show scale)
    COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 51.1
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    PROVENANCE Tomb of Metjetji, southwest of the Djoser enclosure, Saqqara, Egypt; before 1951, provenance not yet documented; by 1951, acquired by Nellie Notrica of New York, NY; 1951, purchased from Nellie Notrica by the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Standing wooden statue of Mtty (Methethy). Conventional pose, left leg advanced, left arm pendant at side, right hand clutches fold of long pleated skirt with thumb on inner side of fold. Hair (no headdress) indicated by black paint. Eyes inlaid in obsidian and alabaster outlined in copper. Only clothing is long gesso skirt with flaring triangular front, horizontally pleated. Rectangular base with incised inscription in two lines across front of top surface. Condition: Most of gesso lost from kilt. Some cracks in wood, especially on left side of face and hands. Body was painted light red, hair black. Feet considerably decayed.
    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Statue of Metjetji, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_view1_SL1.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 51.1_view1_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
    <em>Statue of Metjetji</em>, ca. 2371–2288 B.C.E. Wood, gesso, pigment, alabaster, obsidian, copper alloy, 24 3/16 × 8 1/2 × 13 in. (61.4 × 21.6 × 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.1_view1_SL1.jpg)

    TAGS

    figure
    male
    white
    brown
    walking
    african
    Metjetji
    statue
    attire
    ancient
    Egypt
    Egyptian
    sculpture
    wood
    x-ray
    Saqqara
    Old Kingdom
    Gessoed
    Painted
    Alabaster
    Copper
    Obsidian
    Late 5th Dynasty-Early 6th Dynasty

    TAGS

    figure
    male
    white
    brown
    walking
    african
    Metjetji
    statue
    attire
    ancient
    Egypt
    Egyptian
    sculpture
    wood
    x-ray
    Saqqara
    Old Kingdom
    Gessoed
    Painted
    Alabaster
    Copper
    Obsidian
    Late 5th Dynasty-Early 6th Dynasty

    RELATED OBJECTS

    Sifting Shadows Volupté Bottle, Bust of Henry Ward Beecher Don Manuel Romero de Terreros y Villar-Villamil The Squirrel Nuestra Señora de San Juan de Lagos (Our Lady of Saint John of the Lakes) Siesta Reclining Dog Canopic Jar and Cover of Lady Senebtisi Canopic Jar of Lady Senebtisi Canopic Jar of Lady Senebtisi Canopic Jar of Lady Senebtisi Fragment of an Offering List Fragment Mentioning Offerings Stela of Lady Horemheb Single Strand Necklace with Bead and 5 Scarabs Plug Djed-Pillar with Atef-Crown Soldiers Honoring Their Lord Jar from Djoser’s Pyramid Complex Jar from Djoser’s Pyramid Complex Jar from Djoser’s Pyramid Complex Wall Tile from a Royal Funerary Structure Wall Tile from a Royal Funerary Structure Wall Tile from a Royal Funerary Structure Wall Tile from a Royal Funerary Structure Tomb Relief with a Ship Scene Statue of Metjetji Statue of Metjetji Nude Woman Drying Herself (Femme au Tub) Standing Figurine