Dancing Dwarf in the Walters Art Museum, September 2009

Dancing Dwarf


Creator: Egyptian (Artist)

Period: 3rd century BC (Hellenistic)

Medium: cast bronze with silver inlay (Metal)

Accession Number: 54.1107

Measurements: 4 1/2 x 1 9/16 x 1 5/16 in. (11.4 x 4 x 3.3 cm)

Geographies: Alexandria, Egypt (Place of Origin)


The peaked cap suggests that the dancer is a mime who wears the traditional headdress of a clown or buffoon. Despite, or because of, their deformity, dwarfs held a respected position in Egyptian society and were often credited with magical powers.

Text from: art.thewalters.org/detail/31740/dancing-dwarf/