Head of Amun-Re

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Ptolemaic Period

Date167-30 BCE

MediumDiorite, obsidian, shell, gold

Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

Dimensions10 1/2 x 3 9/16 x 3 in., 1530 g (26.7 x 9 x 7.6 cm, 3 lb. 5 15/16 oz.)

Object number2018.010.067

Label TextAmun-Re was one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian religion. In the New Kingdom, Amun, meaning “the hidden one,” was linked with the sun god, Re, to become the universal god Amun-Re. The god wears his distinctive crown composed of a modius, topped by a sun disk and two tall feathers. His eyes are inlaid with black obsidian and probably shell. This head was part of a larger unfinished statue of the god, indicated by the remains of a tall back pillar. The statue was once gilded. The surface on the neck, shoulders, and sides of the back pillar was left intentionally rough to help the gold leaf adhere to the stone. The wide-open inlaid eyes are characteristic of late Ptolemaic sculpture.
Exhibition HistoryLife and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
Published ReferencesHotel du Prado, Marseille, Archeologie (4 Mars 1972), lot 49.
Melinda K. Hartwig, ed. Life and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 22.

ProvenanceEx private collection. Purchased by Georges Ricard (1921-2012) from Hotel des Ventes du Prado, Marseille, France, March 4, 1972, lot 49. Ex coll. Musée de l'Égypte et le Monde Antique, Collection Sanousrit, Monaco, 1975-1982. Ex coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California.

Status

Not on view

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