- Museum number
- EA41574
- Description
-
Wooden model of sailing-boat: the hull is rather narrow, with moderate sheer; bow lower and more narrow than stern, which has notch for steering-oar; exterior devoid of paint. Deck flush and not cambered, so that raised gunwales are absent; painted white with deck-plan and outer edges in red. The painted centre-strip runs the full length of the vessel; the fore-deck is marked only by a normal painted thwart, but the after-deck is marked by an exceptionally broad painted band. There are seven white rectangles on each side; the midships pair are separated by the usual mast-space. The point of the fore-deck is painted black. In the after part of the vessel is an open-sided cabin, consisting of a rounded top supported on either side by four posts, the latter strengthened each side with a single cross-piece tied to them about half-way up. The rounded roof is yellow edged with black to represent leather strips which have white markings edged with black to indicate the lashings which hold them in place; the roof of the cabin is also decorated on each side with two paintings of round-topped shields, alternately white with black markings and black with white markings. The cabin is open to the stern. Immediately abaft the cabin stands a steering-post which has been trimmed roughly to an octagonal section but has no groove on top. To it was lashed the butt of the steering-oar, which was also lashed to the notch on the stern; the present lashings are modern. The tiller was broken off, only the stump remaining. In the bows stands the pilot with right arm extended and left hanging down. Between mast and cabin stand three sailors hauling on the rigging, while forward of the mast are two other members of the crew facing aft and heaving on quant-poles as if to push the boat off a sandbank; they are leaning forward with almost straight bodies, one arm and shoulder pressing on the quants while their disengaged arms are supposed to be pressing on the deck to obtain greater leverage; actually the hands do not quite touch the deck. The human figures on board have red bodies, white skirts, and short black wigs; it is noticeable that both the men working the rigging and those pushing on the quants have their legs well separated so as to get a good purchase on the deck. The helmsman sits in the stern, left arm at 45 degree with the body, right arm straight in front to grasp the tiller, which is missing; the stump is sticking out of the hole in the shaft of the steering-oar. In the cabin squats the figure of the owner of the boat; he has his right arm forward at an angle of about 45 degrees and his left arm slightly forward. Behind him are two round-topped travelling trunks placed one on top of the other and painted red and yellow. All the standing sailors except the pilot, as well as the owner, still have the remains of the original fabric skirts. No facial features carved except noses; eyes are painted on. Arms are pegged to shoulders and cut off straight at ends; hands are not shaped.
- Dimensions
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Height: 53 centimetres
-
Length: 69.80 centimetres
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Length: 87 centimetres
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Depth: 31 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- As received by the Museum the mast and rigging were in disorder, but photographs taken by the excavator on the site show that the mast, yards and rigging, and the rolled-up sail originally rested in part on the cabin top and in part on the figures of the crew. The spars are slight twigs with much of the original bark and the minimum of trimming, and the same comment applies to two quant-poles on which men are shown as pushing; these were 'in situ' when the boat was found.
The boat comes from the tomb of Sobkhetepi (no. 723), and was found lying on top of the outer wooden coffin (1905,0516.1), J. Garstang, 'The Burial Customs of Ancient Egypt' (London, 1907), fig. 170, together with a second boat (1905,0516.5.a), a model granary (1905,0516.3), a model of brewing, baking and butchering (1905,0516.6), and a wooden figure of a serving-girl with a basket on her head (not in the collection).
Bibliography:
J. Garstang, 'The Burial Customs of Ancient Egypt' (London, 1907), 237.
- Location
- On display (G63/dc5)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2005-2006 5 Nov-15 Mar, Valencia, Art Galore
- Condition
- Apart from the broken tiller and the decayed raffle of sail and cordage, the model is in exceptionally good condition.
- Acquisition date
- 1905
- Department
- Egypt and Sudan
- BM/Big number
- EA41574
- Registration number
- 1905,0516.4
