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Striding Male Figure

Culture
Ancient Egyptian
Period
Old Kingdom, 2686–2160 BCE
Dynasty
Dynasty 6, 2345–2181 BCE
Reign
Pepi II Neferkare, Ancient Egyptian, reigned 2278–2184 BCE
Date
2278–2184 BCE
Material
Wood, ebony, plaster, and paint
from
Egypt, Africa
Classification
Sculpture, wood
Collection
Ancient Art
Current Location
On View, Gallery 313
Dimensions
height: 16 in. (40.6 cm)
Credit Line
Friends Endowment Fund
Rights
Public Domain
Object Number
1:1986
NOTES
This statuette displays one of the primary principles of Egyptian art: frontality. Looking straight ahead while clasping his kilt, the figure steps forward with his left foot. Yet his weight is still planted firmly on his back leg and his hips are square. The pose, which emphasizes a view from the front, gives the figure a solid stance while seeming to move forward. This position also speaks to the statuette’s function. When it was created, this object was never meant to be seen in public or in the round. Instead, it would have been placed in the tomb of its owner as a surrogate, where it would receive offerings and nourishment to sustain the deceased in his afterlife.
- 1920s/1930s
Felix Feuardent (1819-1907), Paris, France; his family by inheritance [1]

1971 - 1986
Robin Symes Limited, London, England, purchased from unknown dealer

1986 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Robin Symes Limited [2]


Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a telephone conversation between Saint Louis Art Museum curator Sidney Goldstein and dealer Robin Symes of Robin Symes Limited, that occurred in December 1985, just prior to the Museum's acquisition of this figure [notes, SLAM document files.] Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[1] According to Symes, it was Feuardent's daughters who sold his collection.

[2] Invoice, January 16, 1986 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Aquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, February 14, 1986.
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We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.