A 5,000-year-old Egyptian statue currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Divine Egypt" exhibition has become an unexpected internet sensation after social media users began sharing humorous posts about its explicit anatomical features. The ancient sculpture, which depicts the fertility god Min with his hand positioned at his groin, has sparked widespread viral jokes and commentary across social media platforms.
The controversy began when a user on X (formerly Twitter) with the handle "microplastics dedicator" shared an image of the statue along with a provocative caption. The post read: "If you walked into the Egyptian city of Qift in 3300 BCE, you would have immediately encountered a 13-foot statue of a guy cranking his hog." This humorous description quickly went viral, generating thousands of shares and comments from users amused by the ancient artwork's explicit nature.
According to the exhibition's official audio guide, the statue originally featured an erect phallus that has since been lost to time. Brendan Hainline, a research associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, provides detailed explanation in the audio tour: "Min's standard iconography is that he has an erect phallus that he is holding with one hand." The narrator continues, "Here, the phallus is missing. It would have been made from a separate piece of stone that's been lost."
The ancient deity Min held significant importance in Egyptian religious practices, particularly those related to fertility and agricultural abundance. As the audio guide explains, "As you might guess from his pose, Min was strongly connected to male fertility. And he came to be associated with the fertility of the land as well." This connection between human reproduction and agricultural prosperity was a common theme in ancient Egyptian religious beliefs.
The statue bears evidence of its continued religious significance long after its original installation. Circular divots visible on the sculpture's surface were likely created by ancient Egyptians who rubbed or ground the stone to collect dust for ritual purposes. The museum's audio guide notes that this dust was "viewed as containing some of the statue's power" and was used in various ceremonial practices.
Museum wall text reveals that Min's distinctive iconography remained remarkably consistent throughout Egyptian history. His standard representation included feathers on his head, a threshing tool symbolizing agricultural fertility, and an erect phallus. This imagery persisted for approximately 3,000 years, spanning from the Second Dynasty of Ancient Egypt all the way through the Roman period, demonstrating the enduring importance of fertility symbolism in the region's religious practices.
What makes this particular statue unique among the five representations of Min featured in the exhibition is its nudity. Unlike other depictions where the god is typically shrouded in clothing, the Colossal Statue of Min appears completely nude except for an archaic belt wrapped around his waist. This bold artistic choice emphasizes the deity's role as a symbol of virility and reproductive power.
The "Divine Egypt" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art represents a major cultural undertaking, bringing together nearly 250 artworks and objects related to Egyptian deities. The show features notable loans from prestigious institutions including the Louvre in Paris, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. This collaborative effort demonstrates the international significance of Egyptian art and the continued scholarly interest in these ancient religious artifacts.
ARTnews critic Alex Greenberger praised the exhibition in a positive review, noting that the show "contains quite a lot that defies easy explanation." This observation seems particularly apt given the viral reaction to the Min statue, which highlights how ancient religious symbols can take on entirely different meanings in contemporary internet culture. The exhibition runs through January 19, giving visitors several more months to experience these remarkable artifacts in person while potentially avoiding the social media crowds drawn by the viral posts.
