Early Figure Sculpture, Basalt statuette: 'MacGregor
Man'
This polished black basalt figure of a bearded male wearing a cap and penis
sheath was once in the collection of the Revd William MacGregor, and is said to
have been found in the region of Naqada. The authenticity of this unique
sculpture has been questioned, but several aspects of its dress and pose find
parallels in early figurative art, such as the Hierakonpolis ivories and the Min
colossi from Koptos. It is possible that stone and ivory tags and tusks
decorated with bearded heads are precursors of 'MacGregor Man'. Although 'MacGregor
Man' may have come from a late Predynastic burial, it is perhaps more likely
that, like the Hierakonpolis ivories, he was set up in a temple, possibly at
Nagada or Hierakonpolis.
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