Statuette of a baboon drawing a bow

The animal stands with feet together, the tail falling behind to provide a third support. He holds with both hands a strung bow that reaches from his knees to his chin. The wood of which it is carved is gilded, but the gold leaf is missing in places. Representations of animals engaged in activities normally associated with humans are not infrequently found in Egyptian art. Often they have satirical overtones, but this does not seem to be the case with the present statuette. A markedly similar figure, but on a slightly larger scale, is in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, no. ega 4592.1943.

Entry taken from Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection 3 volume catalogue, edited by Steven Hooper (Yale University Press, 1997).