ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Head of a Priest

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period, Dynasty 25

Date722-655 BCE

MediumGreywacke

Credit LineGift in honor of President William M. Chace and Dr. JoAn E. Chace

Dimensions5 x 2 3/4 x 1 1/4 in. (12.7 x 7 x 3.2 cm)

Object number2003.045.001

Label TextThe Twenty-fifth Dynasty, ruled by pharaohs of Nubian origin, is frequently described as a period of artistic renaissance, recalling the glorious days of Egypt's past. This era also witnessed the revitalization of private sculpture, which was from that time onward produced almost exclusively for placement in temple precincts. There was a wide range of statue types, manufactured in both bronze and stone, that were intended to emphasize the piety of an individual and to secure for them divine favor in perpetuity. Many sculptures from the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, with their naturalistic features, foreshadow the portrait heads of the subsequent Saite and Late Periods.

This head represents a priest, as indicated by the partial inscription on the reserve, and is an excellent example of the sculptural tradition of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. Due to the nature of the break, it is impossible to determine the original posture of the figure, although it is likely that he held an object, perhaps a shrine or emblem of the deity with whose temple he was associated.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2006 - Present
Published ReferencesSotheby's London, Antiquities (July 13-14, 1987), 56, lot 164.
MCCM Newsletter, September - November 2003.
MCCM Newsletter, March - May, 2004.

ProvenanceWith Sotheby's London, July 13, 1987, lot 164. Purchased by MCCM from Jack A. Josephson, New York, New York.

Status

On view

Collections