Houten standbeeld, gevonden in Sakkara, in het Boulaq Museum in Caïro, Egypte before 1871

This wooden statue was found in Sakkara, and photographed by Hippolyte Délié, in the Boulaq Museum in Cairo, Egypt. Note the figure’s posture, standing rigidly with a staff, a pose echoing across millennia, from pharaohs to modern leaders. The staff, a simple yet potent symbol of authority, resonates deeply, conjuring images of power and governance. Consider, too, the wraparound skirt, reminiscent of traditional attire, a cultural marker anchoring the figure in its time and place. Such symbols, far from being static, evolve through history. The staff, once a shepherd’s crook, transforms into a scepter, then perhaps a general’s baton, each iteration laden with new meanings, reflecting society’s shifting power dynamics. It’s this constant interplay of old and new, conscious and unconscious, that breathes life into images. What feelings does the image incite in you?