ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Royal Head

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

Periodlate Middle Kingdom

Date1837-1760 BCE

MediumGreywacke

Credit LineGift of the Morgens West Foundation

Dimensions4 5/8 x 1 3/4 x 2 7/8 in. (11.8 x 4.4 x 7.3 cm)

Object number2005.017.002

Label TextThis small head exemplifies the dour introspection typical of Middle Kingdom royal portraits. The large ears associate this head with depictions of the pharaohs Senwosret and Amenemhat. He wears a royal uraeus cobra at the front of the bulbous crown of Upper Egypt. The crown is supported by a back pillar. It would have joined a throne upon which the king would have sat, arms crossed in the pose of Osiris. The cult of Osiris was coming to the forefront in the Middle Kingdom and there are a number of small sculptures depicting kings of late Dynasty 12 and Dynasty 13 in this pose. Perhaps further research will enable us to join this head to a body and identify which king it represents.
Exhibition HistoryFrom Pharaohs to Emperors: New Egyptian and Classical Antiquities at Emory, Michael C. Carlos Museum, January 14 - April 2, 2006
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2006 - Present
Published ReferencesCharles Ede Ltd., Egyptian Antiquities (2004), number 11.
Rupert Wace Ancient Art (2005), number 37.
Peter Lacovara and Jasper Gaunt, "From Pharaohs to Emperors: Egyptian, Near Eastern & Classical Antiquities at Emory," Minerva 17 (January/February 2006): 9-16.

ProvenanceEx private collection, France. With Charles Ede Ltd., London, England, acquired from Jean-Philippe Mariaud de Serres (1944-2007) [Galerie Serres], Paris, France, November 5, 2003. With Rupert Wace Ancient Art, Ltd., London, England, purchased from Charles Ede Ltd. Purchased by MCCM from Rupert Wace.

Status

On view

Collections