An Egyptian wood figure of a man

An Egyptian wood figure of a man
Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty, circa 2300-2181 B.C.
Striding forward with the left leg advanced, the arms held tightly to the sides with clenched fists, the thumbs pointing downwards, wearing a short belted shendyet-kilt and echelon-curl wig, the face with large eyes and full lips, with traces of black pigment remaining in the wig, 37cm high

Provenance:
Private collection, UK, acquired by the mid 1960s or earlier; and thence by descent to the present owner.

Statues of the deceased were placed in the tomb to serve as a surrogate for the physical body, and as such could receive offerings. Having previously been the preserve of the king and his family, non-royal tombs began to be equipped with such statues, both in wood and stone, during the 4th Dynasty, with the practice becoming widespread in elite burials by the 6th Dynasty.

The facial features of the above lot are reminiscent of the wood figure of Tjeteti in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, acc. no. 26.2.9a, b and a statuette in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, acc. no. 1996.136.