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Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Head of a King

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Head of a King

Sculptors working for the Ptolemaic kings of Egypt occasionally showed their royal subjects in traditional style. This head depicts a Ptolemaic ruler wearing the ancient nemes-headcloth with a protective uraeus cobra. The king's ovoid face with full, fleshy cheeks suggests that the artisan may have been trying to reproduce the physical features of a specific ruler. However, in the absence of dated parallels for this head, we do not know whom it represents.

Medium: Basalt
Reportedly From: Egypt
Dates: 3rd century B.C.E. (probably)
Period: Ptolemaic Period
Dimensions: 16 x 16 1/2 x 16 in. (40.6 x 41.9 x 40.6 cm)
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: 53.75
Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Image: Front, 53.75_front_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

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23dingenvoormusea (5)
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ninakuriloff (2)
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- Egyptian
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