Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Overseer of the Treasury Ptahhotep in Persian Costume

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Overseer of the Treasury Ptahhotep in Persian Costume

Ptahhotep is shown in a Persian costume that Egyptian officials adopted under the Persian rulers to imitate Persian court attire. The jacket with flaring sleeves, over which a skirt is wrapped, is complemented by a Persian bracelet and torque (a bar-like necklace) as well as by an Egyptian pectoral, or chest plaque. These accessories give Ptahhotep the overall appearance of an Egypto-Persian official, one whose dress speaks clearly of his loyalty to the Persian king. The rendering of the two ibexes that terminate the torque, however, is typically Egyptian, with the heads shown from the side. This treatment, together with the pectoral showing Ptah and the lion-headed goddess Sakhmet, underscores the essentially Egyptian nature of the statue.

• Medium: Schist
• Possible Place Collected: Memphis, Egypt
• Dates: ca. 525-490 B.C.E.
• Dynasty: early XXVII Dynasty
• Period: First Persian Period
• Dimensions: 32 11/16 x 10 5/8 in. (83 x 27 cm) Other (Weight): 252 lb. (114.3kg)
• Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
• Accession Number: 37.353
• Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
• Image: Back, 37.353_back.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Overseer of the Treasury Ptahhotep in Persian Costume, ca. 525-490 B.C.E. Schist, 32 11/16 x 10 5/8 in. (83 x 27 cm) Other (Weight): 252 lb. (114.3kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.353 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.353_back.jpg)