Old Kingdom Painted Wood Figure of an Official

Origin: EgyptCirca: Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty, 2300 BC to 2181 BC Dimensions: 12.5" Height x 2.75" Width x 5.25" Depth (31.7 cm x 6.9 cm x 13.3 cm)Medium: Painted Wood The custom of placing small wooden statuettes in tombs for the deceased began in the Old Kingdom.  As was often the case, even on wooden statues as small as this one, the arms, the front of the left foot, the body, and the base were all made separately.  These features give our charming figure a deceptively doll like appearance and a certain verisimilitude as he stands inserted into a rectangular black plinth.  He is depicted striding with the left leg advanced, wearing a long white shendyt-kilt featuring a stiff triangular apron that is secured by a projecting knot below his navel. His separately-made long arms are pinned at the shoulders, with his left hand at his side, the palm inward, and his right hand resting on the edge of the apron.  His slender torso is pinched at the waist and preserves a deep red flesh tone, wh