Funerary Statuette: Standing Man

This statuette is typical of the “second style” of the 6th to 11th dynasties. The position of the right arm has puzzled certain scholars, who see it as a mistake made during the object’s restoration. Others believe that the man held a bundle or that the figure depicts a litter bearer. Traces of polychrome remind us that this statuette no longer has its original appearance. According to Egyptian conventions, men’s skin was painted in red and women’s in yellow. The darker skin of men was due to working outside, while women had to protect theirs from the burning Egyptian sun.