\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 This life-sized statue in wood, polished and painted red, comes from a tomb at Assiut, in Middle Egypt.\par
It represents a man march
ing, with his arms held close to the body, in the classic pose adopted by Egyptian artists to bestow solemnity on their figures.\par
The clothing consists of a knee-length skirt, with one hem held back by the right hand.\par
The details of the face are
rendered with great realism: the technique of incrustation is used for the eyes, and the cavities are filled with colored glass paste. The edges of the eyelids are underlined with lists of black wood. The lips and eyebrows are outlined in black paint. T
he skull is shaven.\par
The name of the personage is inscribed on the base. It is that of the chancellor Nakhti, who may have lived during the reign of Sesostris I. \par
The statue was made to be placed with the dead man in his last resting place and
to preserve his features: it was supposed to house his soul and ensure its survival after the decay of the body.
