Veronica Rodriquez
Professor John Fisher
Assignment 1
Art 100 -040: Introduction to World Art
October 1 2013
Visit to the Brooklyn Museum of Art
INTRODUCTION:
Upon entering the Egyptian Gallery of the Brooklyn Museum, I felt like the hands of time were turned back and I was in another world; an ancient world. I started looking around trying to find a piece that would catch my interest. There were many, but among them one piece stood out. That piece is “Statue of a Family Group”; it’s a family of three. This family is made up of a father, a mother and a little boy.
NAME AND DATE OF PIECE:
The name of this piece is “Statue of a Family Group”. The piece is said to be from the Old Kingdom, late Dynasty 5-early Dynasty 6, circa 2371-2298 B.C.
MATERIALS AND TOOLS USED:
This piece is made from Limestone.
A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF MY PIECE:
This piece is composed of a three member family. There is a father, a mother and their son. The father is the largest figure in the piece. His head is held erect and he has a headpiece on. The front of the headpiece is almost down to his eyebrows. The two sides are symmetrical, resting lightly on his shoulders. There is a circular wavelike pattern in rows on his headpiece. His eyes are opened and he seems to be gazing straight ahead. His face is expressionless. He has broad shoulders, is bare-chested and his upper body is much toned. His arms are straight down his side and his fists are clenched. He is wearing a royal kilt, resting just below his navel and reaching just above his knees. To the right of his kilt is a striped pattern. There is something stuck in the waist band of the kilt that looks like a small knife. He is barefooted with legs slightly apart; the left foot is a little extended to the front as when one is taking a step. On his left side is a much smaller figure of a female kneeling, holding on to his leg. Her head is not as erect as the father figure’s. Her eyes are opened and it looks as though her gaze is towards the floor. Her hair is parted in the center from her hairline in the front to about midway going backwards and her hair is pulled down on either side of her head. She has what looks like a headband resting on her forehead. Her hair is reaching just above her shoulders. Her right hand is holding to the dominant male left leg and her left hand is resting gently on his left shin. Her dress clings to her body and reaches down to her ankle. She is kneeling with legs stretched out behind her and her buttocks resting gently on her legs; she is barefooted. To the left of the dominant male is little boy standing. He looks like he could be about five to six years old. His hair is braided in a side lock that is resting on his right shoulder. His eyes are opened and he seems to be gazing straight ahead. His left hand is behind the dominant’s male right leg and his right hand is bent at the elbow going up towards his face with hand closed and the index finger touching his chin. He is naked. He is barefooted with feet aligned with each other.

SPECULATION ON THE PURPOSE AND THE MESSAGE THIS WORK OF ART ATTEMPTS TO CONVEY:
In the period this art work is from, family statues from the Old Kingdom often depicted the adult male as the largest figure, indicating his position as head of the household. The much smaller figure of the woman shown kneeling and embracing her husband’s leg was a conventional Egyptian gesture of love and support. The couples’ son is depicted naked with his hair in a side lock and figure in his mouth was a standard way of indicating that he is a young child. CONCLUSION:
I chose this Art simply because of the position the female is in. In those days and culture it was a gesture of love and support for the husband but today in this culture that would be looked at as being inferior to the man. Today if a piece were to be created depicting the family, I believe both parents would be standing or sitting on the same level indicating equality of the sexes. Just by looking at this piece of Art work, the way things were then and where they are now has really made me realize, human beings lifestyles are ever changing. What is acceptable in one culture can be a big insult in another culture. It is always so important when we are looking at art as well as other things to know the culture and time one is dealing with; knowing that will help to better understand the message and significance of that piece of art.