Thursday, December 03, 2009

Touching Hands

Amongst the many Egyptian artifacts at the recently restored Neues Museum this fragment - shown a little bigger than actual size - could go unnoticed.

For some reason I find it exquisitely touching. The thumb of one hand covers the back of the other in a loving, almost protective fashion. I find it incredible that this tiny fragment can be such a powerful statement about a bond forged some 2000 years ago.

My friend Jolka, who just returned from a desert excursion in Eygpt and is dedicated to Egyptology, tells me that the clasping of hands normally suggested sexual intimacy between a couple. However she also suggested that the detailing is very unusual for Egyptian statuary as is the positioning and the material. A search on the internet revealed no information about this little fragment and of course I didn't take a photo of the label for reference.

03 decembre - San Francesco Saverio


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5 comments:

sageweb said...

It looks real!..is it two man hands or a woman and man?

Willym said...

Sage: Not really sure but if it is a tradtional funerary statue it would be a man and a woman.

yellowdoggranny said...

it's beautiful.

Sling said...

It looks to me like the way one might hold a fragile creature,such as a bird,in both hands..I find it comforting in any case.

more cowbell said...

I agree with Sling. Comforting. They're oddly mesmerizing.