Middle Kingdom,11th - 13th Dynasty, (Ca. 2345-2181 B.C.). An ancient Egyptian boatman funerary figure carved from a single piece of cedar wood in a kneeling position. He wears a black echelon-curled wig. The eyebrows, eyelines and mouth delicately painted in black pigment. The body painted in a deep red pigment on top of a thick layer of white gesso. Mortises can be seen arched into the shoulders. Arms would have originally held an oar. In ancient Egypt during the Sixth Dynasty (2345-2181 B.C.), it became common to place wooden models of lifelike scenes in Egyptian tombs; by the Middle Kingdom (2040 -1782 B.C., they were placed in the tomb chamber around the coffin. Some tombs went as far as having separate tombs just for wooden models. Funerary boat models were created to assist in the deceased’s journey through the underworld. These were eventually replaced with shabti figures to assist the deceased with the tasks in the afterlife. The most well-known models came from Meketre’s tomb which included such amazing scenes as granaries, butchers, brewery, bakery and even porch and garden scenes. Item comes with a professional historical report from Ancient Report Specialists. For further information here visit Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545281 O.W. Muscarella, ed., Ancient Art: The Norbert Schimmel Collection, Mainz, 1974, no. 181. J. Settgast, et al., Von Troja bis Amarna, The Norbert Schimmel Collection, New York, Mainz, 1978. The Metropolitian Museum United States https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544214 Accession: 20.3.1 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544126 Accession: 20.3.6.Size: L:(with stand) 450mm / W:150mm ; (with stand) 1.3kgProvenance: Private Collection of N.A., London, UK; acquired between 2003-2009 on the UK/International Market; formerly in the 1960s-1980s collections.