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block statue

Egyptian sculpture

Quick Summary

A block statue is a uniquely Egyptian sculptural form. It depicts a subject squatting with knees drawn up, often with arms and legs contained within a cubic shape, leaving only hands and feet visible. This style simplifies the human figure, with the earliest dated example being from the 12th dynasty. A block figure, in a broader sense, is any sculpture that expresses natural form as a composition of geometric solids. Egyptian sculpture, including block statues, was often funerary or intended for temples. These statues were typically made of stone, a durable material well-suited for monumental art.123

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